


live to fight another day

by winfrith69



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Character Death, References to Depression, back from the dead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:40:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 62,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25494772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winfrith69/pseuds/winfrith69
Summary: Quentin comes back to life, he gets new powers, makes new friends and he reunites with Eliot and the rest of his friends. he and Eliot work out their relationship, while they try to save the world from the big bad.
Relationships: 23rd Timeline William "Penny" Adiyodi/Julia Wicker, Fen/Margo Hanson/Josh Hoberman, Kady Orloff-Diaz/Alice Quinn, Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character, Quentin Coldwater/Eliot Waugh, past Quentin Coldwater / Alice Quinn
Comments: 20
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello All!!  
> This is the re-edited version of the same work, with some changes. At first, my idea was to add the re-edited chapters, as I wrote them, but since I'm changing the order of the chapter, I thought it might be confusing, that's why I've decided to delete the work and republish the new version. For all of those who wrote comments and gave me kudos, thank you very much for your support. I hope you'll like this new version, as much as you liked the first one.  
> As I said in the first note, this fic was my first and a reaction to the season 4 finale, which had left me with bittersweet feelings, mostly because Quentin and Eliot didn't get the reunion they deserved, after all the build-up to a Queliot relationship, especially after episode 4x05. Quentin's death is also something that could have been dealt with in a much better way. The writers and creators presented it as a way of showing that even the "white male lead" can die. However, the implications of Quentin's death were anything but. The following article sums pretty well, why his character was never a "white male lead" and why his death has unfortunate implications: https://www.popsugar.co.uk/entertainment/Why-Quentin-Death-Magicians-Wrong-46050511?utm_medium=redirect&utm_campaign=US:ES&utm_source=tvtropes.org

“Well, here is as far as I go” says Penny. They are, in what looks like an underground parking lot, but everything is in darkness, except for a white illuminated arch. Quentin asks Penny: 

“Do I go through there? What’s on the other side?” 

Penny nods and says “It depends on the person. I can’t tell you, because I’ve never been there, not yet, anyway”. 

“Okay, I’m ready. Goodbye Penny” Quentin hugs him, squares his shoulders, and with determination, he crosses the arch. As soon as he disappears, Penny says goodbye and turns around, while the lights in the room start flicking off until the whole room is in the dark again. 

While Quentin is going through the arch, he thinks about what his personal resting place will look like and who he will find there. From what Penny has told him, the metro pass gives him direct access to the Elysian Fields, the Greek’s idea of heaven. And from what he remembers from his literature and mythology lessons, it will be a peaceful place, where he’ll meet his family again and where he’ll live happily with them, until the end of times. As Quentin walks, he thinks that it will be nice to see Arielle, Teddy, their grandchildren, his father … That brings a pang of pain to his heart. Oh, his father. One of the things he regrets the most is not having been able to say goodbye to his dad, being under the memory spell, the library placed on them. It will be so good if he sees his dad again and asks for his forgiveness. 

But even as he thinks about meeting his family again and how the reunion will go, another pang grips his heart. He can’t stop thinking about Eliot and how he didn’t have time to see him, free of the monster. After they had freed him, there hadn’t been time to speak with him, as Eliot was gravely injured, and they needed to go to the mirror world to banish the monster and his sister. 

He knows that Eliot is ok, he’d seen him at his memorial/funeral, but he wishes he’d had more time, to really speak to him and clear up so many unsaid things, like why Eliot had used the peaches and plums and the proof of concept reference, as a message to show that he was alive, inside the monster. Had it just been a way of getting Q and the rest know he was alive or did he mean something else? And the way Eliot had looked at him, when he’d broken out of the monster’s control, looking so happy to see him, looking at him as if he were the most important thing in the world. Did he imagine that too? One of the things Q regrets the most is not having had that closure with Eliot. Come to think about it, he hasn’t had closure with any of his friends. Seen them at his memorial was bittersweet, as he realized that they’d be fine, but he hadn’t been able to say goodbye to any of them. Not Eliot, nor Alice, Jules, gods, Jules. Even Margo, New Penny, or Kady! And Josh and Fen, who’re in Fillory and he doesn’t know if they know about him dying. 

He stops, still in the dark. He doesn’t want to move on, he wants to go back. He wants to tell his friends how much they mean to him and he wants to tell Eliot that he loves him, even if he risks Eliot rejecting him again. He turns around, determined to make the walk back, even if he doesn’t have any idea of where he is and how long he has been walking for. But before he can start making the trek back, he suddenly feels a pull from his belly, that rushes him forward, at light speed. He thinks “Noo, I’m not done yet!” and tries to resist, but the pull is too strong for him. Then, the ground or whatever he’s standing on shifts and he’s falling down, like in those dreams, where you never seem to stop. But while he’s falling, he doesn’t feel afraid, in fact, he feels oddly comforted and a deep, masculine echoing voice speaks to him: 

“Quentin Makepeace Coldwater, by the way, you have quite the name, man” Quentin chuckles at the voice, which sounds quite snarky. The voice goes on “You have been given a rare gift. Should you desire, you can continue your way, onto your final resting place, and live happily. Or, you can take on our offer, returning to life and aiding us in our fight. Choose wisely, for whatever option you choose, you won’t be able to go back on it. Think of a red pill, blue pill kind of choice. So, what is it going to be? Eternal rest or a second chance in life?” Quentin wonders what kind of powerful entity makes pop culture references, and how in hell is he able to think about that, when he’s apparently plummeting to his, what, second death? Is that even possible? 

The voice laughs, a full belly laugh and Quentin hears another, this one is feminine, quieter, but clear as the voice’s laugh. He’s enveloped in what feels like a warm blanket, that makes him feel safe, even when he’s falling down. The male voice speaks again “So, what will it be? We don’t have a lot of time, and it’d be great if you would deign to give us an answer” 

Quentin is still sceptic. A chance of going back? Of seeing his friends again? Of …. Scratch that, of course, he wants it, there are no doubts about it. “I choose the red pill, I choose life” He says. 

“You’ll have to speak a little louder Quentin, I’m afraid I’m a bit deaf” Says the male voice again, while the female voice twinkles. 

“I want to live!” Quentin shouts

“Again, Quentin, please. I’m afraid the air whooshing around you, doesn’t let me hear you properly” Says the male voice again. 

“I WANT TO LIVE” Quentin shouts at the top of his lungs.

“Ok, ok, you didn’t really have to shout. I could hear you perfectly the first time. Very well, brace yourself, this is going to get ugly. I’ll see ya” Says the male voice again. 

Jerkass, thinks Quentin. “Heard you” says the voice. And then he starts falling at a higher speed. Quentin thinks he is going to get smashed against some surface, and wouldn’t that be ironic, being smashed to the ground while being dead, when he hits water, or at least if feels that way. He can feel his body sinking and he thinks “great, I’m dying again” when he sees a light. He follows the light and he can almost see the surface when … 

“aggggggggghhhhhhh” he gasps taking a big lungful of air. He wakes with a start and he sees that he is laying in some sort of hospital room. It’s so white; everything is very white and bright. It’s almost blinding. He can hear the beeping of a machine, that is monitoring his breath and heart rate. He blinks, he has a heartbeat. He’s alive! 

There is a woman, standing next to the bed, who looks his age, maybe a couple of years older, and she is caressing his forehead and trying to calm him. 

“Where …” he croaks, his throat feels really raw. “Shhhh?” Says the girl. “Rest, everything is going to be ok.”. Quentin feels his eyes shutting down. “Go back to sleep.” The woman says. She starts singing softly, in a language that Quentin doesn’t understand. The song is calming, and he closes his eyes and sleeps again. 

Over the following days, Quentin drifts in and out of consciousness. He wakes up, but only for a few seconds before he falls asleep again. Whenever he wakes up, he sees people hovering over him. Most of the people that look after him are wearing surgical masks, so he thinks he might be in some sort of medical facility. In his rare moments of consciousness, he sees that not all the people who treat him are human. He might be hallucinating, but even if he can only see part of the faces of the people who are treating him, he knows that they’re not from earth. Some have strange skin colors, like blue or green, the eyes of others seem unnatural and some even have reptilian or very animal-like eyes. 

Sometimes a woman stands next to the bed, with her hands above him, and he can see a faint glow coming from her hands, which reminds him of Julia being a goddess. Sometimes, the woman who was there, when he first woke up, sits next to him and reads to him, or tells him stories. With the woman, there’s often a man, who also sits with him and who sings to him or tells him funny stories. 

As the days pass, Quentin feels stronger, but he sleeps most of the time. He’s conscious of having a body again, but he still feels very tired. A couple of weeks later, Quentin can finally stay awake for a longer time. He opens his eyes and sees the woman and the man, who have been his companions for the past weeks. 

He tries sitting up, but it feels like a herculean effort. The man helps him, while the woman uses the bed's controls, to raise the bed a bit, so he can be sitting, instead of lying. 

“Who are ….” His throat is so sore and so dry. “Here” The girl says, giving him a glass of water. “Go easy, we don’t want you to throw up. I’m Lys, by the way” She introduces herself. 

The red-haired man is Kieran and they are a couple. “Where am I?” Quentin asks, after finishing the glass of water. “What is this place? Who are you?” He’s curious, but so tired still. However, his inquisitive mind can’t help but wonder where he is, and who all these people are. 

The man, Kieran, says “All your questions will be answered, but now, just take it easy. They had to rebuild your body from scratch after it got vaporized at the Seam. They have also made some improvements, and did you know you had a wooden shoulder?” Quentin chuckles at that “Yeah, I got injured and the centaurs replaced my shoulder with wood” “Centaurs?” Lys asks “that seems a story worth telling. Anyway, is there anything you would like to get? We can get you almost anything you want.”

“Do you know the “Fillory and Further” books? I think I’ve lost mine. Could I have copies?” Quentin asks. It’s his go-to comfort books and whenever he was in a new place, having them with him, would help him to feel at ease. 

“Here” Lys says. There is a whoosh, and with a flash of blue light, the books appear. Quentin takes one of the books. He starts leafing through it and sees that it’s one of his own books, one of the many editions he has. More than that, it’s one of his first editions. Quentin looks at the book, then at Lys, then at the book again, amazed and a little bit scared. 

“How did you… are you magicians? But you didn’t cast, you don’t use poppers … are you gods?” He rambles. He starts getting anxious. Has he really come back to life, or is it a cruel joke, played by the Gods? Is he in the afterlife? Are these people good ones or evil ones? Has he given up the choice of eternal rest, only to find himself in a worse place than hell? Are these people gods? If they are gods, are they evil or good? What if they find out he’s killed gods? 

He starts panicking and hyperventilating. Lys sits on the bed, next to him, and touches his cheek, in a calming gesture. She starts doing shhhing noises, trying to calm him. She takes his hand, brings it to her chest, so he can feel her heartbeat. “Quentin, listen to my heartbeat. Breathe, nice and easy, just breathe and feel my heart” She says, as she pets his cheek. With her heartbeat and the breathing, Quentin starts to calm down, though his mind is still running amok. 

Kieran, seeing that Quentin is not totally calmed, says “ Quentin, we’re not gods. We’ll explain everything, but now, you just have to know that you’re safe, we’re not evil and we’re not gods, we’re not that powerful” Quentin still looks confused, his eyes still wide with fear. “We’re warlocks. We do magic, just different from what you are used to. We’re sorry if we scared you” Kieran finishes, looking a bit embarrassed. 

Quentin stares at him, and for the first time, he takes notice of his two companions. Lys has dark red hair, the color of red wine, which depending on the light, has purple highlights. Even when she’s sitting, it’s clear that she’s short, as her feet don’t touch the floor. She has big brown eyes and she’s good looking, in a girl-next-door kind of way. Kieran is tall. He’s taller than Quentin, he’s as tall as Eliot, though broader at the shoulders too. He has lighter red hair and his eyes are blue, though in some lights look green and in some grey. They both look like they’re nice people, which eases his fears a bit. He’s curious about them being warlocks. He starts asking them the hows and whys, as he knows that he’ll start thinking about his friends, now that he’s more awake. It hurts, especially thinking about Eliot and he doesn’t want that. 

Lys and Kieran look at each other, some silent conversation going on between them. They look so in sync. They tell him it’s still too early. He needs to rest and regain his strength. Lys gets up and they’re about to leave his room when Lys says. “Quentin, we know that you have questions and we’ll do our best to answer them. But now, you must know that there are no rules about you not being able to contact your friends. This is not like the witness protection program, or like in the movies, where the person who comes back to life can’t contact his loved ones. You’re free to send them a message, we can even arrange a meeting, or a video-call if you want to. Would you, for us to send them a message?” She offers. 

Quentin ponders for a bit. “Can I do that? No punishment, whatsoever, no consequences?” He asks. 

Lys laughs “No punishments, no consequences. As I said, you’re not a ghost, nor a fugitive. The sky won’t fall on your head if you reach out to your friends. Plus, They and the Big Girl believe that those brought back to life shouldn’t lose connection to their old lives if they don’t want to. 

Quentin breathes in relief. For a moment, he thinks of sending a message to Julia, or Eliot or Alice. But Penny had told him they’d be ok without him, that his story was over, but theirs was just starting. He doesn’t want to make things worse for them, as he doesn’t know what the situation is with the Library, the MacAllister's and the Gods. He shakes his head. As much as it might pain him, this is his quest, his solo adventure. He shakes his head. “Thank you, but no, at least not right now”. 

“Well, you can change your mind, anytime you want, this is not a one-time deal” Kieran says. He takes Quentin’s hand and squeezes it. “We are here for you, Quentin. You’ll be all right”. Lys kisses his cheek, hugs him, carefully, not to jostle the iv-lines. “Rest, we’ll take care of you, Quentin”. Kieran puts his arm around Lys’s shoulders and they both leave the room. Quentin starts reading, but he’s so tired, his eyes soon start closing and he falls asleep. Before he falls completely, he feels a hug and a voice telling him that everything is going to be ok. 

After he wakes for the first time, Quentin spends several days in bed rest, getting back his strength. He wasn’t conscious at the time, but while they were dealing with the monster, he lost a lot of weight, with all the stress and with him, being in a depressive episode. He’s also been getting blood transfusions, which he thinks are part of him getting a new body. His wooden shoulder is gone, he can feel the flesh and bone under the skin of his left shoulder. That and the fact that his cacodemon tattoo is gone too, are proof that he’s lost his former body and that he’s been given a new one. Well, there’re two things he won’t miss for sure. The wooden shoulder hurt when the weather was cold or wet and the cacodemon tattoo, only reminded him of one of the worst moments of his life. 

He doesn’t think they’ve used living clay though, it feels like they’ve created a body from scratch. He wonders what kind of magic can do that, and how powerful the casters must be, to be able to build a body, just from the soul, or whatever. Anyway, he is alive and he has never felt better. 

He spends, what feel like several weeks in bed rest, eating well and strolling around the hospital, or medical bay, with the help of Kieran or Lys. He finally starts feeling like a normal person again. Fuck that, he feels better than ever. Not only his body has been healed of all his past injuries, but he can also feel his magic stronger than ever. Funny, as he never saw himself as a particularly strong or powerful magician. But now, he can feel the magic thrumming in his veins, he feels the power at the tip of his fingers. He thinks that maybe his friends have managed to destroy the siphon, the Library had used to control the flow of magic. He has noticed that the ambient magic is not as strong, but maybe it’s because they’re in a different world, or dimension, or whatever. 

He wants to test his magic and looks for something he can use, to cast a small spell. He’s going to try to do a minor mending since it’s his discipline. He takes the glass of water he has on his nightstand. He empties the glass and lets it fall to the floor. He tries to repair it, using the same movements he used, when he repaired the mug, in front of Alice, or when he repaired the Mirror at the Seam. It doesn’t work. He thinks that maybe he’s been using the wrong poppers, or that maybe his body is a bit rusty. He tries several times, the poppers becoming more fluid. But it doesn’t work. He knows he’s using the correct moves, the correct poppers. He knows that to repair such a small thing, he doesn’t need to take into account the circumstances, plus, it’s his fucking discipline, for fucks sake! He starts getting worried and frustrated when he snaps his fingers, and blue light, just like the one that had come out of Lys’s hands, when she’d brought back his books. The glass repairs itself instantly. He doesn’t even have to think about the glass going back to its original shape. 

He falls back on his bed, staring at his hands. He’s never been able to do magic like that. None of his friends have ever been able to do magic like that, maybe Julia, when she was a goddess, but she didn’t have enough time to explore her powers. 

He then remembers the blue light that had come out of Lys’s hand, when she had summoned his Fillory books. Could it be he’s like them now? And if he is, what is he, exactly? Is he still a magician or is he something else entirely? 

He needs answers and Lys and Kieran are the only ones who can give him those. He takes a dressing gown they’ve left, in case he gets a bit chilly and ventures out of his room. He’s barely taken a few steps, when he sees Lys, coming to his room. She smiles and says 

“Good morning Quentin, it’s good to see you awake. Have you eaten something?” She asks. 

Quentin nods “I have. I was looking for you, or Kieran. I’d like to know where I am, what happened, how did I get a body back, what’s happening to my magic, and many more questions”

Lys looks at him fondly. “I know. We’ll try to answer those questions, as best we can” She ushers him back to the room. “Wait here, I’m going to get Kieran and a couple of people we’d like you to meet” She leaves, and Quentin goes back to bed. 

When she comes back, she’s accompanied by Kieran, a man dressed in a suit and one of the women who had been treating him, the one who had a golden glow come out of her hands. She has long brown hair, that she’s tied up in loose braids, and she’s wearing a silver jacket and a tutu. And flip-flops, strangely. She doesn’t say anything, but she’s smiling and he feels incredibly at peace, in her presence.  
The man in the suit says “Are you ready to get the answers to your questions?”

Quentin recognizes the voice. It’s the voice that had given him the option of going back or eternal rest, though it’s less intimidating now when it’s not echoing. 

“Yes, who are you two?” Quentin points at the man and the strange woman. “Where am I? What happened to my magic?” He doesn’t want to sound rude, but he doesn’t want to be kept in the dark, much longer. 

The man in the suit takes a step back and very dramatically and using the same echoing voice says, “I am the Metatron”. 

Quentin looks at him confused. “The what now?”

“The Metatron!” Says again the man in the suit, with the same voice. “No, doesn’t ring a bell?” The man looks a bit disappointed. “What does one have to do, for people to believe him? How about this?” a whoosh is heard, and two wings sprout from the man’s back. Quentin shrinks back in fear and the man says again, using the booming voice, while a choir is heard in the background. “I am the Metatron, Herald of the almighty and voice of the one true God”. Quentin is feeling more and more confused. The man lowers his wings, looking dejected, while Lys and Kieran snigger, and the other woman laughs too. 

“You young people, if it doesn’t appear on the internet or YouTube, it’s not worth knowing about, is it? I’m a seraphim, the highest choir of angels. You do know what an angel is, do you?” For being an angel, he’s quite snarky, Quentin notes, as he nods. He shouldn’t be surprised. he’s met gods, killed some even. He’s seen dragons and centaurs, unicorns, and other magical creatures. Why shouldn’t angels exist? But the Metatron? He’s never heard of it, not even in Sunday school when he was little. 

“The Metatron acts as the voice of God. Any time some yahoo claims God has spoken to them, they were speaking to me. Or they are talking to themselves” Says well, Metatron. 

“So …” Quentin thinks those people are a bit crazy. He knows crazy, but this is a whole new level. If Metatron is the voice of God, that means the smiling woman is … “So that’s …..” he asks, nodding at the woman, who is now widely smiling. 

“Yup, she’s God, a very relieved and very happy deity” Lys answers. 

“God, as in The GOD?” Quentin asks. If she’s God, why doesn’t she speak? “So, why doesn’t she answer?” 

“Humans have neither the oral nor the psychological capacity of withstanding the power of God’s true voice. Were you to hear it, your mind would cave in and your heart would explode within your chest We went through 5 Adams before we figured that one out” says Metatron. 

Quentin can’t believe it. It had been a shock to discover that Gods like Hades, Persephone, Iris … were real, and a bigger shock to know that most of them were grade A jerks. But GOD? As in the almighty God? Fire and brimstone God? The one who provoked the great flood? The father of Jesus, like God? He shakes his head. He can’t wrap his head around the idea of God is real. 

Metatron looks at God and says “He doesn’t believe us” Then, addressing Quentin says “You, millennials, you don’t believe in anything. And you, you have met lesser gods. Why can’t be God real too?” Since Quentin seems still reluctant, Metatron says “You want proof? How about a trip?” He snaps his fingers and suddenly they are in Fillory, at the mosaic. 

“Wait, this is Fillory?” Quentin asks, awed at what has happened. “Well duh, it is not a figment of your imagination. Glad you finally decided to join in the conversation. Peach?” And Metatron throws Quentin a peach, that he catches. He stares at Metatron and God, waiting for them to say something. 

Metatron smiles. He looks a lot nicer when he does that, and says “Quentin Coldwater, for what you have done, you have our most sincere gratitude. If it hadn’t been for you, God would have been lost to us”. Quentin stares at Metatron. He is sure he really hasn’t done anything to save God, and how was she lost? Isn’t she supposed to be almighty?

Lys, realizing they are confusing him, said “Metatron, you aren’t telling him the whole story. So, here’s the deal. The monsters you trapped in those jars were God. She got split up and when you threw the bottles into the seam, she was made whole again”

Quentin is stunned. He’s trying to understand what Lys is saying, but it doesn’t match what he knows about the monster twins and their origin. 

“I don’t get it. God was the monster and his sister? How is that possible? And isn’t she God? Doesn’t she have almighty powers and all that?” He asks Lys. 

“Well, you must know the whole story” says Metatron. “When God was young, and still learning, she was exploring one of the places she had helped create. She didn’t want to control her creation, she gave the spark ad let it develop, to see what happened. She was powerful, yes, but young and innocent. She met four people, who were looking for a way of acquiring more knowledge and power. You know who I’m talking about. By that time, she had already created some of the minor gods, helpers, because what she was helping to create was so huge, she couldn’t manage on her own. 

These knowledge searchers realized she was a god, but they thought she was a minor one. Usually, when she explored her creations, she disguised herself as a lesser goddess, it was easier to interact with her creations. Those people had a spell that could control a lesser god and cast it on her. It trapped her in the body she was using. They experimented on her and they managed to divide her in two parts, that took the shape of two children. They thought that they would control the children easily. For a time, it worked. The searchers worked with the children; the children helped them with creating their own worlds. But the searchers were careless with their creations, with the children and the children started to rebel and show their true power. The searchers then decided they had made a mistake and they sacrificed the girl and banished the boy. Well, you know the rest of the story, since you have been living with one of the children”

Quentin is amazed and disgusted at the same time, He could not believe what assholes Iris, Heka, Enyalius, and Bacchus had been. But it still doesn’t explain why the monster and the sister had wanted to kill everyone, so he asks that. 

Kieran answers “You remember how your friend was when she lost her shade? Or what happened to the Quentin of the 23rd timeline when he lost his?” Quentin remembers. People without their shades don’t feel emotions, like love, remorse, or guilt. 

“Wait, are you telling me that the monster at Blackspire didn’t have its shade, that’s why he was a psycho? And the sister? According to the records we had, she was supposed to be way worse than the monster” Quentin is getting more confused. The monster not having its shade would make sense, but that doesn’t explain the sister. 

Kieran answers again “Well, that’s not exactly accurate. See, when they split up the young goddess, the twins that were born were actually the shade and the shadeless part. When the twins started to rebel, they realized that the shade less child was more difficult to control and the four decided to sacrifice her, to become gods themselves. But the boy was difficult to control too, and when he became too strong, they banished him to Blackspire, where he was surrounded by other mistakes, the gods had made” 

Quentin shudders, while tears well up in his eyes. He knows the monster twins had a tragic story, but this goes beyond what he could have imagined. He also remembers how childlike the monster was, wanting to play, wanting to know, and not knowing his strength sometimes. If he was a shade, that explains many things. 

“But usually shades are innocent and they spend their time granting small miracles. Why was he so destructive?” Quentin wonders. “If the monster was God’s shade, why was he evil?”

“That’s the eternal question of nature versus nurture. The new gods, being careless as they were, they didn’t teach the boy about compassion, or love, only how to create and destroy. Also, imagine being separated from a part of yours, being locked up in a castle with monsters, and being considered one of them. How would you feel about that? Or being locked up with a person who treats you as a dangerous creature?” If you put it that way, Quentin thinks, anyone could become a little unhinged. After all, the Beast had been a product of Martin Chatwin being abused by Plover. Kieran continues “in Blackspire, God’s shade had to become ruthless to survive and the new gods had taught him how to create and destroy.”

Quentin nods. Now that he’s hearing all that, he’s getting a clearer image. But it still doesn’t explain some things. 

“Ok, God was split in two and the twin monsters were her shade and her shade-less part. How come she’s whole again? I mean, my friends and I, we locked the monsters in bottles designed to hold them, and closed them with binding spells, the strongest ones we know” he asks. 

“Well, remember when you were at the Seam and confronted Everett? The binding in the sister’s bottle was almost faded and the binding in the monster’s bottle was starting to fade. After you threw both bottles into the seam, the binding faded entirely and both bottles broke. The two parts were reunited, and God was finally able to come home” Lys explains. 

Quentin looks at them. One mystery solved, now onto the next one. “That doesn’t explain why you decided to save me, why me, and not any of my friends. I’m not particularly powerful, or talented. I was just trying to save my friends, and it was never my intention to save God, I thought I was banishing those horrible god-killing monsters, who wanted to destroy the world”

“You went out of your way to save your friends, even gave up your life for them. You may not be the most talented, or the most powerful magician, but you never give up and you’re ready to wage war with heaven and hell, to save your loved ones. And trust us, we know all about sacrificing oneself, for the sake of love” Metatron says.

“But I didn’t really do anything. I mostly babysat the monster, saw him kill a lot of people, helped him kill a few more, and died trying to banish them” Quentin says, in a sad tone. “I don’t think I deserve such a reward, especially after what I did at the seam”

“Oh, you mean killing yourself? Don’t worry Curly Q” says Metatron. It’s strange, hearing that nickname, from someone else, other than his dad. “No matter what the church says, suicide is not the worst sin one can commit. And we have been observing you, ever since you got involved with the monster. It really took a toll on your mind and heart, and you were not in a good place, to begin with. We’ve felt the heartache you were suffering, seeing the man you love, being possessed, and not knowing if you’d be able to save him or would have to kill him” Metatron squeezes his shoulder, in a consoling manner. “Of course you deserve to be saved, to be given a second chance. Nobody is perfect, well, almost nobody” 

Quentin still looks unconvinced. “Look, Noah was a drunk and look what he accomplished. And not long ago, we had a scion who had been working in an abortion clinic” Metatron says. 

Quentin shakes his head. He doesn’t know if that is supposed to cheer him up. He yawns, he’s getting tired. 

“Ok, I think it is enough for now” Lys says, with a stern tone. “He is getting tired and he has more questions that need to be answered. We will take if from here, Metatron, if you don’t mind”

Metatron nods. “Not at all. We’ll be on our way. We hope to see you soon, Quentin Coldwater!” When Quentin pales at that, Metatron laughs and says “Not because you’ve died, dummy! We want to know how much you’ve progressed, and to see you reunited with your loved ones. Take care and be brave!” And Metatron exits the room. Before God leaves, she kisses Quentin on the cheek and hugs him, and he feels like nothing bad can ever happen to him. She lets go and is about to leave when Quentin grabs her hand “Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. Thank you, for everything, I guess. And, can you tell me, is there a bigger plan at play? I just have so many questions I’d like to ask you, like why? Or ….”

Before he can say any more, God touches his nose, says “boop”, smiles at him and leaves the room, skipping like a little girl.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quentin learns about what he is, he heals, he learns about the dark king and makes a choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone!  
> I hope you're having a good summer, considering the circumstances! This is the second chapter of the revised version. My plan was to put Quentin's training in one chapter, but it was becoming too long and I've decided to split it in two. I'll post the second part probably later or tomorrow. I thought rewriting the story would be easier since I already have the base, but adding new things is taking me longer than I expected. I'm not making any promises as to when I'll update since I can't seem to keep them!😅  
> Anyway, I hope you like the new chapter. As always, thank you for all the kudos and comments!  
> Also, I'm looking for a beta reader, though I really don't know how would that work, so if anyone is interested, please, leave me a comment.  
> I hope everyone is doing ok and staying safe! 💜💜💜💜

After God and Metatron leave, Kieran and Lys remain in the room with Quentin. Lys says “If you’re not too tired, we can answer any questions you have. If you want, we can come tomorrow”

Quentin opens his mouth to answer, but his stomach growls and he blushes, feeling embarrassed “Sorry” He says, feeling his face get hot. He tries to hide behind his hair, but it’s still too short. Lys and Kieran look at him fondly and chuckle. “Don’t be. You’ve been on a liquid diet for some time, and you can start eating solids again” Lys says. “Is there anything you want in particular?” She asks.

Quentin thinks for a few minutes. He actually feels hungry, really hungry, for the first time in months. But he doesn’t want to force it and end up throwing up half of it, so “Something that’s easy on the stomach, maybe some grilled chicken?”

Kieran leaves the room and he comes back a few minutes later, with a tray. There’s a plate with grilled chicken and vegetables, some white rice, some bread, red jelly, probably strawberry or cherry flavored, and a bottle of water. Quentin doesn’t want to protest, but it seems like he’s been given the standard hospital food, which will be bland and tasteless. But, since both Kieran and Lys are staring at him, he starts eating anyway. When he takes the first bite, he realizes, that while the food is intended to go easy on his stomach, it’s not bland in any way. He digs in, carefully, not to eat too fast. While he eats, Lys says:

“Let's start with the easy questions. You already know our names. I guess you want to know who we are, where we are and what we do”

His mouth full, Quentin nods.

“Ok” Lys begins “We’re warlocks and we belong to an organization that protects different dimensions and worlds, from any dangers that might appear”

When Quentin looks confused, Kieran clarifies “Are you familiar with the Dr. Strange movie?”

Quentin, who can’t speak, because his mouth is full, nods.

“Remember the sorcerers are called Masters of the Mystic arts?” Quentin nods again. “And that they protect different dimensions and worlds?” Kieran continues. “Well, our organization is just like that, though our members are more varied. There are different magic users, apart from warlocks, as the Sidhe, you’d call them the Fair folk or faeries, shamans, and druids … And it’s not just humans too, there are werewolves, shifters, vampires, gnomes, goblins, dragons, Naga and many more” Kieran stop, looking at Quentin, to see how he’s taking all this information. He sees that Quentin is a little shocked. Quentin is staring at Lys and him, one hand holding the fork, the food, forgotten on the plate.

“Quentin, are you ok?” Lys asks, looking worried. “We can stop if you want to. We don’t want to overwhelm you, with that much information, not when you just woke up”

Quentin smiles at her. He’s thankful for her worries, but he’s just taking all the information in. He shakes his head, takes her hand, and squeezes it. “I’m fine, just a bit shocked. When I learned about magic, I learned about other worlds too, but I didn’t know there would be so many worlds and universes. It’s a little confusing”

“Do you need to rest?” Kieran asks. “As Lys says, we can stop and maybe continue later”

Quentin shakes his head “No. I’ll probably have a million questions after you’re done, but I’d like to know more”

“Very well” Lys takes the lead this time. “We have a council that rules our organization. It’s made up of members of all the races that belong to the organization, we don’t discriminate. The council is chosen by vote and everyone gets to be part of it, we have a rotation. That way, no one stays in one position for a long period of time” Lys explains.

Quentin nods. He finds it a bit funny, that they rotate and no one gets permanent positions. But at the same time, he thinks it’s a good system, to prevent stagnation. He nods at Lys, urging her to continue.

“The rest are agents. There are active agents, meaning they go on missions and stuff. Active agents work in groups, made of different beings. Kir and I belong to one of those teams. Our other team members are a werewolf and a vampire, but they’re on a mission right now. You’ll meet them soon, though” Lys explains.

Kieran takes on “The others are non-active agents. They don’t usually go on missions and they stay on our bases. That doesn’t mean they’re not as important. They’re the researchers, doctors, weapon masters, translators …. They provide mission control and act as liaisons to the council.”

“Bases?” Quentin asks. The more they explain, the more curious he gets. “Like military bases?”

“Sort of. It’s more like divisions, kind of like the sanctuaries, in the Dr. Strange movies” Kieran states. “The headquarters of our organization is where our council has its seat. The teams live in different divisions. For example, apart from our team, there are three other that live here, plus the non-active agents”

Quentin scratches his chin and yawns. He’s finished eating and he’s getting sleepy now. But he wants to know more and how he fits into this. However, Lys and Kieran realize he’s getting tired and Lys says: “I think we’ve tired you enough. Take a nap and we’ll be back later, and we’ll continue explaining things”

Quentin wants to protest that he’s not sleepy, but as soon as he lies his head on the pillow, he falls asleep.

A couple of hours later, he wakes up alone. After going to the bathroom, instead of getting back in bed, he stands by the window, looking out. It seems that he’s not in a hospital, it’s more like a manor, as he sees well-kept gardens and forests and hills in the distance. He doesn’t think he’s on Earth, though. The colors of the sky and the trees and flowers he sees are way too vivid and there’s a very subtle faze, that gives everything an otherworldly appearance. It’s a bit like his first impression of Fillory, although he’s sure that the air he’s breathing doesn’t have any traces of opium in it.

He’s about to return to bed, and maybe read for a bit, when Lys and Kieran come back. Kieran is pushing a wheelchair. They see he’s awake and up and smile.

“Good, you’re awake. We were thinking that maybe you’d like a tour of the installations and we can continue explaining things and answering any questions you have” Lys offers.

Quentin nods. “Your chariot awaits” says Kieran. Quentin sits in the wheelchair. He still feels a little unsure on his feet and he doesn’t want to faceplant in front of his new friends.

As they move around the different places, Kieran and Lys explain everything. They see the armory, the labs, the medical bay, the library, which is huge, the training area … the only places they don’t visit are the living quarters of the agents.

After they are done with the inside, they go outside, taking a stroll around the gardens. Lys and Kieran explain that at the moment, it’s only just them and the permanent staff, as the teams that also live in that base or division are currently out on missions. They settle in a nook of the garden, a small plaza, with a fountain in the middle, and surrounded by trees and flowers, some that Quentin recognizes and some he doesn’t. With a flick of her wrist, Lys makes a tea set appear, complete with some biscuits, scones, and sandwiches, which make Quentin smile. They drink the tea and eat some of the treats, in silence, the three of them knowing Quentin has more questions. He sets his cup of tea down and asks:

“Earlier, I tried doing some magic, I tried mending a glass and I couldn’t use any of the moves or poppers. Am I no longer a magician?” His voice wavers a bit. After he got into Brakebills, magic and being a magician became some of the things that he thought defined him as a person. If those things have been removed, he feels like he has lost part of his identity and has to redefine himself all over again.

Lys and Kieran exchange looks, and Kieran answers. “I’m sorry, but no. You’re no longer a magician, but a warlock, like Lys and me. As you know, we had to rebuild your body, since it got destroyed at the Seam. We thought that you’d be most comfortable becoming a warlock, instead of a vampire, a were or a shifter. But, If you don’t want to be a warlock, it’s still possible for you to become something else, whatever you choose”

“Why only a vampire, shifter or were? Couldn’t I become a faerie if I wanted?” Quentin asks.

This time, it’s Lys who answers. “If you had some faerie ancestry in your blood, maybe you could have become part faerie, but you must have been born one, to be able to become one. Weres, vamps, and shifters start of human, so the transformation is easier and you were already a magic user, with a core of magic, so making you a warlock was easy too” Lys explains. “But, as Kir says, if you want to become something else, you can still make the change”

Quentin shakes his head no. He’s fine being a warlock. He can do magic, even if he’ll have to learn how to use it again. But he’s curious about the process and the whole magic core thing. So, he asks “How did you di it? I mean, my body was destroyed, and you rebuilt it, completely. How? And the magic inside me, is it mine, or is it someone else’s?” He remembers what Alice and Julia told him when they had tried transferring Julia’s magic to Alice. It had almost killed Alice, as the magic didn’t belong to her, like when a body rejects a transplanted organ.

Again, Lys and Kieran exchange looks and Lys takes the lead this time:

“How much do you remember about being healed?” She asks. Quentin doesn’t remember much, he had been in and out of consciousness for most of the process, but he remembers God’s glowy hands, and getting blood transfusions and feeling much better after getting them.

“Some, but just bits and pieces. I remember mostly the brightness of the room and that’s pretty much about it” he says. “What’s a core of magic?” He’s never heard of that.

“It’s the part of you that has magic, it’s what makes you a magician, or in this case, a warlock. It’s like an organ, just like your heart, or your brain. Your soul carries a part of it, a very small part, which allowed us to inject you with pure essence of magic, along with a blood transfusion. When the pure essence of magic reached that part of your core of magic, it became part of you and rebuilt your core, though differently from what it used to be” Kieran tells him.

Quentin breathes a sigh of relief. The magic is part of him and he won’t die because of it. “So the magic is mine? I’m not going to end up rejecting it?”

“No, the magic in you is yours and yours only. Only you can give it up, not even God can take it from you. It has become a part of you, just like it used to be. And like you did, you’ll have to exercise it, to learn how to control it. And if you use it excessively, you’ll feel drained and you will need to recover, like when you overexert yourself. But you’ll never have to depend on the ambient magic, or circumstances, to cast spells” Lys explains.

Quentin nods and remains silent for a while, sipping his tea again, surprised that it’s still hot until he realizes that the teapot and the cups probably have a spell to keep the beverages warm. He thinks that having that kind of magic would have been useful in the past, when fighting the monsters, when the old gods shut down the flow of magic, against the Macallister's … Then, another problem comes to his mind. His depression! He knows because he feels the lingering effects of his last spiral, that he hasn’t been magically cured. And since Fogg had advised him to stop taking his meds, because it would interfere with his magic, he wonders how his depression is going to affect him now.

“And what about my … well, my issues? Will they affect the magic?” he asks.

“About that, we’ve been speaking to our resident therapists and they think that you should resume therapy and begin taking meds again” When Quentin starts protesting, Lys lifts a hand, to stop him. “Before you reject the idea completely, think about it. You’d have a meeting with the therapists, see who you feel most comfortable with. And they’d decide on a med regiment, if necessary” She explains. “We all go to see them, some of us even have weekly appointments. Think of them like the therapists the police, or doctors or first responders have. They’re used to crazy”

Kieran nods in assurance, which makes Quentin feel more at ease, with the idea of going back to therapy. Though he’s not completely ok with the idea. “But if I start taking meds, won’t they interfere? That’s what they told me at Brakebills”

Kieran huffs in anger “Whoever told you that is a complete moron. Are you kidding me? It’s like telling an asthmatic person, not to use his inhaler. What kind of dumbfuck tells a depressed person not to take his meds?” He rants.

Lys puts her hand over Kieran’s arm, calming him. Kieran sighs and says “Actually, the more stable you are, the better you’ll be able to cast. Forget the whole “magic comes from pain” bullshit. It’s true that emotions affect our magic, when we’re angry, we’re able to do a lot, but without control, and we can hurt ourselves and others if we lash out. When we’re sad, well, prepare yourself for a lot of rain and water … when we feel strong emotions, we have to unleash the magic, the same way you shout or laugh, or other things” Both Lys and Kieran blush, which makes Quentin think it has something to do with sex. Kieran continues “the stronger the emotion, the more powerful the magic burst will be. The trick is learning how to find a point, between the rage and serenity, and focus on it”

Quentin hums “That kind of makes sense. So, what are your disciplines?” He wants to know more, if he’s going to be a warlock, he wants to know everything about what he can do and what he can’t.

Lys and Kieran laugh “Disciplines? What the fuck is that?” Lys ask.

“You know, the type of magical aptitude, like mine, was the repair of small objects, or minor mending” Quentin clarifies, feeling a little insulted.

Kieran and Lys stop laughing. “Sorry, we’ve never heard of disciplines” Says Kieran, quoting the word disciplines. “We don’t have those. We can pretty much do anything, we don’t have a specific type of magic that we excel at”

“There are always some things that might come more naturally to you, like some spells or potion-making … But we’re multidisciplinary, if you want to put it that way” Lys says.

Quentin goes silent again. No disciplines and being able to do almost anything? Wow, Quentin feels like a new world has opened up for him. He feels hopeful and wanting to try as many spells as he can. He doesn’t feel the dread he felt when he was being tested for his discipline, his first year at Brakebills. When Sunderland had deemed him as undetermined, he had thought that it would be a matter of time before he was kicked out. And finally discovering his discipline hadn’t done him any good either. It wasn’t the discipline itself; it was more what it had meant (the mending he did at the Seam). He’d always associate his discipline with his death, so not being defined by it, it’s an improvement.

He looks around, and he sees that the sun is setting. He doesn’t know how much time has passed, but they must have been talking for quite some time.

“It’s late and we don’t want to keep you here, longer than necessary” Lys says. With a flick of his wrist, Kieran makes the tea set disappear and they wheel him back to his room, in the medical bay.

“Apart from magic, what else can you do?” Quentin asks, while on the way.

“As active agents, we have extensive combat training. We have been trained in different martial arts and hand to hand combat and weapons, which is useful when your enemy is immune to magic” Kieran says. “You can’t imagine how many creatures we’ve found that are magic resistant and the only way to defeat them is the good old sword to the heart” He says as if it’s the most natural thing to say. “Or cutting their heads off”

“So, your organization …” Quentin begins. “How do you protect different worlds and dimensions?”

“We travel around, using portals and help wherever we’re needed. And once we’ve gone to a world, we try to set up a base, so there are agents permanently watching over. It’s a bit hard because we can’t recruit as easily as we would like. You know, we would really love it if you could join us if you wanted to” Kieran says.

Lys slaps Kieran in the arm. “Ow! What was that for?” He asks.

“You, _maitea_ , don’t know when to shut up sometimes. Sorry, Quentin, don’t pay any attention to what he says. We’ve dumped you a shitload of info and you’re still recovering. Don’t worry, we’d understand if you’re tired of fighting. We haven’t brought you back to life, so you can join our organization. It’s not a condition for your return” Lys says, holding Quentin’s hand. They reach Quentin’s room. “Someone will bring you dinner, shortly”

Quentin gets back in bed. He has remained silent. Lys squeezes his hand one last time.

“Hey, don’t think about it too much, ok? Right now, just concentrate on resting and healing completely, and then, we’ll talk about your options” Kieran gives him a smile, as an apology and they both leave the room.

When he’s alone again, Quentin starts thinking about what they’ve told him. It becomes a bit much, and he gets up from the bed and starts pacing around the room. He feels conflicted about what his next steps should be. Does he want to stand on the sidelines, stop fighting, and just live his life, for however long that might be?

Before he died, he had been ready to give up everything. Freeing Eliot and Julia from the Monster and the sister had been his last quest, or so he’d thought.

The truth is that the past years have been one battle after the other. His friends and he have faced dangers, none of them were ready for. The Beast, Fillory and Ember and Umber, the quest for the keys, the Monster, the killing of the gods, the Sister, the Library, Everett … And along the way, he has lost his dad, who’s been there for him, no matter what and who has always supported him, even if he hasn’t always understood Quentin. And not being able to be there for him, in his dying moments, or even at his funeral has always weighed a lot, on Quentin’s heart.

And yes, he has been with his friends, while they were on the quests, but he’s felt so alone at times too like he’s been carrying the weight of the quest alone. At the Seam, he decided he’d had enough, that’s why he let the magic consume him. Penny telling him, after watching his memorial, that they’d be ok without him, cemented that decision.

He could find somewhere to establish himself, where he could build up a new life. Maybe he could join the organization, but as a non-active agent, and provide support. He doesn’t have to jump into the fray, he can stay on the sidelines.

But … And there’s the big, huge but. He hasn’t come back to life, just to see the world go by. He’s always done better when he’s had a purpose, a quest. It seems somewhat ironic, and a bark of laughter escapes him when he realizes that. However, he remembers, that as soon as he went through the archway, he regretted being dead and wished for a second chance. He’s been granted one and, by the gods, he’s not going to waste it. He’s going to make full use of this new life he has been given and he’s going to fight for it. He deserves it. He thinks that his dad would approve if he were there with him.

Moreover, he’ll have a support system behind him. Even if he hasn’t known Lys and Kieran for long, he feels like they’ll become great friends. Granted, he’s not the best judge of character, but there’s something about them, that makes him trust them, just like it had with Eliot. And joining the organization means he’ll have experienced people to guide him through, to show him the ropes. Which is a vast improvement, compared to his friends and him, barely trained magicians, going against gods and monsters.

Plus, in time, when he feels more settled, he’ll reach out for his friends, let them know he’s alive. Even if he’s been told that he can contact them, any time he wants, he feels it’s not the right time. Seeing them would hurt him way too much and he needs to recover, not only physically, emotionally as well. That and he doesn’t know how he would approach them. How do you tell your friends, who think you’re dead, that you’re alive? Oh, and another thing to consider, whether time passes by differently, wherever he’s right now like it happens with Fillory.

So, his mind has been made up. However, he has questions, about what would imply joining the organization Lys and Kieran work for. And only they can answer them. He gets out of the room and goes looking for them. It’s nighttime and the medical bay is run by a skeleton crew, which makes sense since Quentin notes that there aren’t that many patients. Well, Lys mentioned something about most of the teams being out in missions, so it makes sense.

He goes through various corridors, passing by patient’s rooms and labs until he gets to where the offices are located. Most of them are closed, but he sees light, coming out of one of them and he hears voices. It’s Lys and Kieran. He gets closer, and he’s about to knock when he hears:

“Kir, how could you spring that on him? You can be so stupid sometimes!” Lys sounds angry. “He’s still recovering, and he’s been given a shitload of information, and you spring the idea of him joining us?”

Kieran tries to placate her “It was a bold move, _mo leannan_ , I know that. And maybe I shouldn’t have brought out the idea of him joining us so soon, but you have to agree with me, that the situation is dire and we need all the help we can get” He says. Quentin wonders what situation is so urgent.

Lys sighs “I know it looks bad and yes, he would be a great addition to our team. But remember his world has changed, he doesn’t know us and he doesn’t have any reasons to trust us. I don’t want him thinking that he was brought back to life, only so he could join our organization. And, _laztana_ , he’s been through the wringer. Do you really think it’s fair of us, to ask him to get involved with something that might be even more potentially dangerous, than what he has faced?”

Quentin wonders what can be more dangerous than God killing Monsters. He shakes his head, to clear it up, and listens to Kieran’s answer:

“You’re right. If he joins, it will be on his own terms” Kieran sighs “However, you know as well as I do, that the situation is dire. We’ve already got reports of something big bad coming our way, and we need all the help we can” He sounds a little desperate.

Quentin really wants to know what big bad has them so scared. He strains his neck a bit more, so he can hear what they say, better.

“I know. And if that big bad something is who we think it is …” Lys doesn’t finish the sentence. “Anyway, bring the idea of Quentin joining us up, and you can find somewhere else to sleep” She threatens Kieran, though there’s no real heat in her voice, it’s more humorous.

“You wouldn’t mind me bunking with Tee and Perce?” Kieran jokes.

“If you don’t mind the snoring and the smell of wet dog …” She jokes back. “No, really. Kir, if he’s back indeed …”

“I know, _mo_ _ghràdh_ ” Kieran says. Quentin sees that they’re hugging. “We’ll manage, somehow. We’ve been preparing ourselves for this fight our whole lives. Have a little faith” Kieran dips his head and kisses Lys. Then, they hug, comforting each other.

Quentin’s curiosity gets the best of him and he enters the room, startling the couple “Who or what is the big bad you’re talking about?” he realizes that they know that he’s been eavesdropping and he goes beet red. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I came looking for you, I wanted to ask a few questions and I heard you talking” He looks at them embarrassed, expecting them to be angry with him. They look at each other and look at Quentin. They smile, reassuringly.

“Don’t worry about it” Kieran says. “At least you didn’t catch us doing other things” He says, winking an eye.

Lys punches Kieran in the arm. “Are you sure you want to know?” Quentin nods. “We don’t want you to feel pressured into doing anything you don’t want” Lys continues.

“I want to know. So, this big bad …” Quentin says.

“He or she calls himself or herself the Dark King” Kieran starts explaining. “He/she is a devourer of magic and he wants to destroy the universe and all the worlds in it. Thousands of years ago, he/she almost managed to do it, but he was stopped and banished to some remote dimension, kind of like the Phantom Zone, in Superman. We thought he/she had no chance of coming back. But it seems that he/ she has found a way out and he’s coming” Kieran finishes.

“Wait, he calls himself the Dark King and you don’t know if he is male or female?” Quentin is a bit confused.

“Well, he/she never showed his/her face in battle. Only those who were his prisoners have seen what he or she looks like. And those prisoners are all dead. And who says you have to be a man, to be called a King?” Lys states. “The last two High Kings of Fillory are women, are they not?”

Quentin realizes the ridiculousness of the statement. “Sorry. You’re right. So the Dark King. Destroyer of the world. How bad is he/she, really?” He asks.

“Imagine Thanos, The Night King and Sauron had a child. Throw in some of the Joker’s madness and add lieutenants that make Ramsay Bolton and Joffrey Baratheon look like children throwing a tantrum” Lys answers.

“He /she has an army that’s almost immune to magic, which means they must be killed the old-fashioned way” Kieran adds. Quentin gives them a worried look. Kieran goes on “But Quentin, seriously, don’t worry. We’ve faced them before. Not us, you know what we mean. The organization is strong, we’ll manage”

Quentin hums, thinking about what he has been told. One thing is to protect other worlds and dimensions. Fighting to save the world from an oncoming threat is another thing. He’s been there, he knows what is at stake. But it seems that the apocalypses that his friends and he have faced are like the minor leagues. This, the Dark King, is like being in one of the major leagues. Is he really ready to do that? He doesn’t want to be the hero, the chosen one, not any longer. He’s always had the fantasy about being one, but when faced with reality, he’s seen that quests don’t always go according to plan. His friends and he have managed because they worked together and they’ve not always survived. Case in point, Alice, Penny, and himself.

Still, if the world is in danger, he knows he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he stood at the sidelines. And this time, he won’t go blind. If he joins the organization, if he joins Lys’s and Kieran’s team, he’ll be with people who’re seasoned fighters, who will be able to train him and who’ve already know what they’re facing. He’ll be able to protect his friends, whether he sees them again or not. He’s already made his choice earlier, but this is what truly tips the scale. With a determined look, he tells Kieran and Lys:

“I’m in. I want to join your organization, your team. I’ll help you, though I’ve zero knowledge about fighting. But you can count me in”

“Are you sure?” Lys ask. “Look, we didn’t tell you this before, because we didn’t want you to feel pressured or coerced. You’ve fought enough, for several lifetimes. You don’t need to get involved in a war that has nothing to do with you”

“I know, and I appreciate you looking out for me. However, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself, knowing about the danger out there, and doing nothing to stop it. I didn’t come back to life, just to sit idly. I mean it. I want in” Quentin is determined.

“Truly? Know that if it gets too much, you can leave at any time” Kieran offers him an out.

Quentin shakes his head no. “No, if I commit myself, to do something, I go all the way”

Lys and Kieran exchange a look and nod. “Very well. We’ll start with your training as soon as you’re discharged. We’ll begin with the magic training, while you’re still on medical leave. But, be aware, the training will be brutal, demanding and we’ll push you to your limits” Kieran says, looking very serious and stern. Quentin thinks he’s still trying to get him to chicken out.

“I survived Mayakovsky and the Antarctic” He says. “Do your worst” But he smiles when he says this last thing.

Lys and Kieran exchange looks again and smiling, they offer their hands to Quentin. “Ok. In that case, welcome to our team and the organization, Quentin”

They shake hands and Quentin says “Call me Q, all my friends call me that”

Quentin spends a few days more, at the medical bay. Since he’s no longer on bed rest, and he’s walking around, doing some mild exercises, Kieran and Lys decide they should start teaching him how to use his new magic. Since his magic is still a little unstable and prone to leaking at the worst moments, they start practicing spells, from the very basic, to some that are a bit more difficult. At first, it’s a little complicated, as Quentin has become used to depending on circumstances and poppers, having to memorize long incantations in, sometimes obscure languages, and being very aware of each movement of his hands. The way warlocks use their magic is much more instinctive and they don’t rely at all on all of that. It takes Quentin some time to be precise. For example, when asked to make a plant bloom, he either makes it bloom, as spring has just exploded, or he only manages to make a single flower bloom, which withers almost immediately.

He starts therapy too. He meets the 6 house therapists, and after a few false starts, he finds a good fit, with a faerie therapist. Her name is Aishlyn and Quentin feels at ease with her, from the first moment. Maybe it has something to do, with the fact that she’s not a full faerie, but half. While all the faeries he’s met are tall and willowy, even ethereal looking, like the Elves from Lord of the Rings, Aishlyn is shorter than he is, even shorter than Julia and Lys, who’re already quite petite. He later finds out that she’s half gnome, which leads to her joking about how her parents had sex and had her. Still, she’s a good listener, she’s very empathetic, but blunt and direct and tells Quentin things straight up, without using convoluted metaphors, as most of the faeries do.

Her looks are unique too. Even if she’s short, she has that ethereal beauty the faeries have. Her skin is blush pink and her hair is the bright pink of roses. It’s long, she usually wears it tied in a braid that reaches her knees. Quentin guesses that if she let it loose, it would reach her feet at least. Her ears are pointy, but not the delicate pointy ears of the full-blooded faeries, hers are more rounded. It reminds Quentin of the description Tolkien gave about the ears of the hobbits, pointy, but not as pointy as the elven ears. But her most striking feature is her eyes. Like most of the faeries, she has unusual eye colors. That’s not only the unique feature, though. Her eyes are tricolored. Her outer iris is a pale pink, almost the color of her skin. The middle ring is a brighter shade of pink, and the ring closer to the pupil is fuchsia.

In their first meeting, they talk about Quentin’s past experiences with therapy and what he wants and expects from their sessions. He tells him about his attempts and how meds have not usually worked very well. She tells him that with the training he’s about to start, he’ll have his mind occupied, which will allow him not to wallow as much. She also tells him if he’s ever had any hobbies, apart from reading and doing magic tricks. Quentin tells her no and she suggests taking some sort of activity, like writing, painting, something that can serve as an outlet too. Quentin tells her he’ll think about it.

He also has some physical therapy sessions, mostly to test his new body. He finds himself rubbing his forearms, where his scars used to be. He doesn’t want to forget, and he starts thinking of getting a tattoo, something to remind him where he comes from. The physical therapist he works with is a male Naga, and since they’re water creatures, his sessions involve a lot of time in the swimming pool. The water acts as a resistance barrier and it helps the therapist see if Quentin has any mobility problems, after getting a new body back. Everything works perfectly and after passing the last tests, he’s finally given the medical discharge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The translation for the endearments in Basque and Scottish Gaelic are:  
> Maitea: my love  
> Laztana: darling or beloved  
> Mo leannan: my lover  
> Mo ghràdh: my love


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quentin starts with his training, he meets his other teammates and he learns the backstory of his teammates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone!  
> My plan was to have Quentin's training, the team's backstory, and a couple of things more in one chapter, but it's proving to be way too long and I decided to split it up. Even then, it's still quite long, so I'm splitting it up again. Hopefully, I'll upload the last part tomorrow. We've already met two of Q's new friends, now we meet the other two. I'm basing them in these characters:   
> \- Perce: he's based on Tom Hopper's Percival, from the tv show Merlin and Luther Hargreeves, from the Umbrella Academy  
> \- TC: he's based on Eoin Macken's Gwaine, from the tv show Merlin and TC Callahan, from the Nightshift  
> \- Kieran: he's based on Sam Heughan's Jamie Fraser, from the tv show Outlander  
> \- Lys: Her physical appearance is based on actress Cristin Milioti  
> The faeries are based on Tolkien's elves and the Sidhe from the Merry Gentry novels, by Laurell K. Hamilton  
> Some of the races that appear, like the gnomes or Nagas, are based on the races that appear in the World of Warcraft game, as well as some of the worlds they visit, like the Un'Goro Crater or Winterspring.   
> Anyway, hope you like the chapter and as always, thank you for all the comments and kudos!

Lys and Kieran take him to their living quarters. He’s given a room, next to theirs. He still hasn’t met the other two team members, the werewolf and the vampire. Kieran tells him that they’re in a mission, but they should be arriving sometime in the following days or week. Quentin spends his first day out of the medical bay, exploring his new living quarters. He’s given clothes, some for training and some regular clothes. He misses his old clothes, his things, and mostly his books. He hopes that when his magic gets stronger and if they go to New York, he’ll be able to get his things back. He hopes that his friends haven’t thrown his things away, that they’ll have put them in storage. He wishes he had his things with him, as it would make getting used to his new environment, for the comfort they’d give him. But, for the time being, he’ll make do. He has the books that Kieran materialized for him. 

He starts his training. It involves different activities. There’s a physical part, with exercises to improve his endurance, that wouldn’t be out of place, in the training of military elite units, like the Navy Seals or the British SARs. Then, there are exercises, to work on his flexibility and balance, acrobatic exercises, like somersaults or flips. They follow the same exercises Olympic gymnasts do, both in rhythmic and artistic. And parkour too. Apart from the physical part, there’s combat training. He’s trained in all kinds of hand-to-hand combat, different martial arts: Kung-Fu, karate, taekwondo, krav-maga, judo, mixed martial arts, boxing, and kickboxing … Even capoeira. They also teach him Tai-chi, which can be used as a martial art or as a relaxing exercise. 

He becomes very grateful for the bathtub he has in his bathroom. He’s never been fond of physical exercise and Kieran and Lys don’t go easy on him. At all. When he’s done at the end of the day, his body hurts so much, that he feels like he’s one big bruise, even with the rapid healing warlocks seem to have, and the upgrades they’ve given to his new body. He spends at least an hour soaking in his tub, full of ice and cold water. Kieran and Lys don’t coddle him, they’re brutal teachers and don’t pull any punches. But Quentin is grateful for it. He ends up so tired that he doesn’t have much time to dwell on thoughts of his friends or his dad and his mum. 

They start taking him to different worlds, to work on his survival skills. They go to worlds that are permanently covered in snow and others that are completely tropical, with dinosaurs and creatures he’s never seen. He learns to identify plants and fruits, the edible ones, and the poisonous ones. He learns to gather plants and fruits, how to track animals, and to hunt. He learns to skin the animals he hunts and to prepare the meat. 

With all the exercise Quentin is doing, his appetite, which had faded during the time with the Monster comes back. The new meds Aishlyn has prescribed, seem to be working. They don’t make him feel nauseous. Lys and Kieran being good cooks, doesn’t hurt, either. He starts gaining weight, though, with all the physical activity, it turns into muscle. He fills up, his muscles get more defined and, holy cow! He has abs! He won’t be as big as Kieran, but he gets a slender and toned body. 

Aside from all that training, he continues working his new magic. He learns spells, potions, how to open portals, and cast wards. He often finds himself doing tuts or wondering about the circumstances for casting the spells until something reminds him that he no longer depends on those. Since he’s pretty new, his spells misfire, either for being too strong or too weak. Kieran tells him that he needs to find that spot, between rage and serenity, to achieve better results. It’s hard but thinking about his friends and the life he’s left behind help him get centered. He doesn’t learn only about warlock magic. He has lessons with all magic users, humans, and other races too. He learns that everyone has some sort of magic. Some are better at elemental magic, controlling water, fire, wind, or earth. Others are better with healing. Some use very arcane magic, that Quentin doesn’t understand very well, but it’s usually quite flashy. The faeries have different powers, some being utterly terrifying, like the ability to make a person bleed out, from a small injury. He learns about the magic shifters and vampires have, which is tied with their abilities, like vampires being able to move so fast, that they seem to teleport.   
It’s a good way of knowing, not only different types of magic but the people who practice them. Quentin wonders why they don’t teach that at Brakebills. They learned about magical creatures, but more from a scientific point of view, rather than valuing them as another source of knowledge. He thinks that if he ever returns to New York, he’ll suggest this to his friends. He’s sure that Jules and Alice would be more than happy to explore those options. 

He gets to meet his new friends better. He learns that Lys’s full name is Lys Etxegoien and Kieran’s is Kieran Alexander Fraser. He learns that Lys is from the Basque Country and Kieran from Scotland, though the accent kind of gave him the clue. She’s very kind and loving, and fierce when riled up. She’s tough and delicate at the same time. She reminds Quentin of his friends and he muses whether he’s destined to meet formidable women, since all of them are, in their own unique way. Kieran is laid back, really nice, but very protective of those he loves. He and Lys are totally in sync, able to predict each other’s moves, something that comes from years of being together. They’re completely in love with each other and it makes Quentin remember his time at the Mosaic with Eliot, when they became so synchronized, they were able to guess each other’s wishes, without talking. When he thinks about Eliot, his heart squeezes and gets a pang of pain. Oh, he misses him so much! 

A couple of weeks into his training, the other two team members return from their mission and Quentin finally meets them. The vampire is Percival Luther, Perce for friends. He’s easily the biggest guy Quentin has ever met, taller than Kieran and Eliot, and built like a linebacker, though without bulging muscles. He has short, light brown hair and blue eyes and he’s one of the calmest people Quentin has ever met. Also the nicest. 

The werewolf is Thomas Charles Callahan, TC or Tee, for friends. He’s a bit taller than Quentin and he has broader shoulders too. He has tanned skin and dark brown eyes and hair. His hair is neatly styled, and it looks like he doesn’t put any effort into caring for it. It looks like how Quentin’s hair looked like, when he cut it, though a bit shorter and better styled. He has a slight scruff as if he hasn’t shaved for a few days, but not having a full beard. He’s more hotheaded and more likely to act without thinking. He loves to tease people and flirt with them, but always good-natured and as banter between friends. When he meets Quentin, he makes his mission to see how many times he can make Quentin blush. Not even Eliot was such a blatant flirt. 

Despite his flirty attitude, TC is incredibly loyal to Perce, and from the moment he meets them, Quentin sees that they love each other very much. He feels lucky that they include him in their circle of friends and soon, they become some of his best friends Quentin. 

Now that the team is complete, TC and Perce join Quentin’s training. Like Kieran and Lys, they don’t go easy on Quentin and are as brutal and hard as the other two. They teach him different techniques, for example, Perce teaches Quentin how to fight an opponent that is bigger than him, in size, how to use his slighter physique to his advantage, and how to use the bigger physique of his opponent, to defeat him. Quentin feels really proud when he manages to knock down Perce. TC teaches him how to be as fast as he can, how to blitz attack since he’s incredibly fast. 

Not only he trains in hand to hand combat, but his regimen also includes weapons training. Each team member specializes in one primary weapon and then they all use secondary ones. To find which one is Quentin’s primary weapon, they visit the Weapon Master, a faerie, who has some sort of empathetic powers, which she uses to find the weapon that is best suited to each person. Quentin’s primary weapon is the twin swords. They are shorter, the blades are curved, and the hilts can be connected, turning the swords into some kind of lance. It’s a versatile weapon since he can use them for close range or medium range. Kieran, whose primary weapon is the bow, teaches him how to use it and he becomes a decent shot, though nowhere near Kieran. He gets quite proficient with different swords, though he prefers his twin swords. The weapon master tells him that he’s got an innate ability for dual welding weapons, and he gets very good with long knives (like the ones Legolas has, in the Lord of the Ring movies), sais … He gets to try many weapons from around the world, and from other worlds too. For some reason, firearms are not included. 

He continues with therapy too. Some sessions are harder than the others and Aishlyn doesn’t allow him to keep things bottled up. She gets him to talk the past four years, from starting at Brakebills to his death and coming back to life. They talk about his friends, the ones in New York, and how would he feel, if he saw them again. They talk about his relationship with Eliot, what it means to him, what he wants to do. Does he want to move on or hang on to the hope, of maybe someday, telling Eliot how he feels? They talk about his relationship with Alice. Quentin confirms what he realized some time ago. He’ll always love Alice, but they shouldn’t have gotten back together. He hopes she’ll be able to forgive him, for dying in front of her, and that they’ll remain, friends, because he can’t imagine his life without her, in it. 

Even though he makes a lot of progress, his therapy sessions aren’t always easy. He has a couple of days, in which everything seems to go wrong. He messes the spells and potions he’s learning, he doesn’t seem to do anything right, in his training and he becomes snappy and angry at everyone. His friends are very understanding, and even when he shouts at them, they try to comfort him and make him feel better, which infuriates him more. He rants about it, in his therapy session, about how they seem so put together, how they’ve never been through the trauma he has, and how life is unfair. Aishlyn allows him to rant and when he’s finished, panting and throat raw, she gets up from her chair, looks up at him and very seriously and sternly says: 

“Are you done?” Quentin nods, feeling chastised. “Good. Now, I want to sit down, shut the fuck up, and listen” Aishlyn continues. 

It’s so unusual to hear her speak like that, that Quentin does what she asks. She sits next to him and takes his hand. In a much gentler tone, she says: 

“Look, Quentin, I know you’ve been through some horrible things, so horrible that it would make anyone run to the hills. And having depression makes dealing with those traumatic experiences much more difficult. But you don’t have the monopoly on suffering. From what you’ve told me, your friends have gone through some similar experiences too, suffered as much as you have”

Quentin turns red, ashamed. He knows. His friends and he have been put through the wringer in the past four years and none of them have coped in a healthy way. Eliot and Kady turned to drugs, Alice though magic was evil and betrayed them, Julia lost her shade … He sighs:

“I know. And probably my death hasn’t helped either. I just hope they’re dealing better than I would have if one of them had died. But I just feel so scattered, like I’m scrambled all over and I seem to do nothing right. And Lys, Kieran, Perce, and TC are so understanding, they don’t get angry, or snippy, or frustrated with me. They’re understanding and it’s infuriating! I’m ashamed to say that I hate them for being so put together” 

Aishlyn cups his cheek “You think they haven’t gone through traumatic experiences? That their lives have always been easy?”

“Well, no” Quentin feels ashamed again. “But …” He doesn’t know how to explain what he feels. 

“Your team members have been active agents for quite a long time. They’ve gone on many missions, some easier than others. No matter what the mission is, whether having to kill someone or saving someone, it always leaves a toll. Missions can go wrong. You can lose a friend, a lover, get injured, captured, tortured, even killed. That’s why active agents are required to have counseling sessions, so they can deal with the things they’ve faced” Aishlyn tells him. 

Quentin looks unconvinced. Aishlyn sighs, she goes to her desk and gets some files out. 

“I knew this day would come, so I asked your team members to allow me to show you these” She points at the files. Quentin gets curious. 

“What are those?” He can’t help but ask. 

“These are the files of your team members. Their stories and missions. You’ve met them at a time, when they’re in loving relationships, and have created their own makeshift family. But before that, they went through some real hardships. I think you should know about them, then you can judge if their lives are as good as you make them out to be”

Quentin feels ashamed again about that. He’s never asked his new friends about their pasts and they haven’t told him, maybe out of respect, or because they don’t want to remember. He takes the first file that Aishlyn offers him. It’s Perce’s. Aishlyn begins with his story: 

“Let’s start with the oldest member, Percival. He’s a Briton, whose tribe survived the Anglo and Saxon invasions. They weren’t as lucky when the Vikings started raiding Britain”

Quentin does the math. If he’s not mistaken, and from what he remembers from watching Vikings, that was around the 9th century, which makes Percival, around 1100 years old, at least. Holy shit! He pays attention to what Aishlyn is telling him about Perce. 

“Percival’s village was raided by the Vikings. Like many of his neighbors, he was taken prisoner and his village was burned to the ground. He was one of the lucky ones who survived the journey. During the journey, his father and mother were killed, because they were deemed too old. His sisters were raped, and he was beaten and whipped, when he tried to defend them. When they got to Scandinavia, some of his neighbors were taken as sacrifices for the gods, and the rest were put to work, as slaves. One of his sisters ended up attracting the attention of a Viking warrior, who took her as a concubine. She was supposed to marry a nice young boy from the village, but that boy had been killed in the raid. She was so heartbroken that she killed herself. His other sister was given to a family that treated her a bit better, but a jealous woman killed her. Percival was forced to work in hard labor and as an opponent to young warriors who were training”

Aishlyn stops, gauging Quentin’s reaction. He’s shocked and there are tears in his eyes. She continues “When he started bulking up, because of the hard labor and the training, the Vikings became nervous and decided he had to be sacrificed to the Gods. A strong man like him, sure it would be an excellent sacrifice. Before he was killed, the priest who had to carry out the ceremony, saved him and hid him in a cave. The priest was a vampire, you see” Quentin nods in understanding. “But the priest didn’t save Perce, out of the kindness of his heart. He had plans and Perce was going to carry them out for him. After he turned Perce, the priest left him alone, near the village. See, when new vampires are born, they wake up with an incredible thirst and if they don’t feed soon, they become so mad with hunger, that they’re able to kill entire villages. Usually, the maker is with them, to help them control the thirst. But, as I said, Perce’s maker had left him alone. Perce tore through the village, killing everyone he saw. He was so mad with thirst, that he didn’t care whom he killed, men, women, children … when his thirst finally was calmed, he realized what he had done. He’d killed almost every villager, Vikings, and Britons alike. Those who had survived could only stare at him, murmuring about Berserkers, you know, the legendary Viking warriors. Ashamed, Perce ran away”

Quentin is shocked. Perce always seems so calm, so in control, never losing his cool, not even when TC is riling him up. “Why did the priest turn him and leave him there?”

“The priest was a sadistic fuck. He had been passed over as chieftain and had become a priest because he was a born vampire. He wanted to see if the thirst of a newborn vampire was as legendary as they’d told him and used Perce as an experiment and to take revenge on his clan, for not making him the chieftain. He went to the neighboring village and told the tale of a monster attack and organized a group of men and women, to hunt Perce” 

She stops to take a breath and then continues “Perce ran away. He couldn’t go back to Britain, not from Scandinavia. He traveled through the Baltic region, stopping at mercenary camps, where he learned how to fight. There, he met a fellow soldier and they started a relationship. But the mercenaries weren’t too approving of same-sex relationships and they killed Perce’s lover. In revenge, Perce killed most of the mercenaries, earing the title of Berserker. For years, he roamed through Europe, never being able to settle down, working as a sword for hire, never being able to have a real relationship, until, he met a werewolf and well, the rest is history”

Quentin is blown away. He can’t imagine himself spending years, centuries even, without being able to have real relationships, whether friends or lover and having to move, from place to place, never being able to settle down

Aishlyn gives him the next file. Kieran’s. She beings to tell Kieran’s story 

“So, Kieran was born in the Scottish Highlands. His father was the town's blacksmith and his mother was a wise woman, a doctor if you will. He apprenticed with her and the clan’s official doctor, though they couldn’t use their powers. While it wasn’t very common still, people were accused of witchcraft and executed because of it. When he was almost of age, the English, under the rule of Edward Longshanks, invaded Scotland. When Robert Bruce decided to fight for the independence of Scotland, Kieran’s clan joined”

Robert Bruce’s rebellion? Isn’t that what appears in Braveheart? Quentin thinks. He does the math and realizes that Kieran is around 700 something years old. Holy fuck! What else have they seen, having lived for so long? Aishlyn continues with the story. 

“Ok. Kieran’s clan joins Robert’s rebellion and they fight alongside several clans. Bear in mind that many clans were at odds which each other, so it wasn’t easy. Kieran took part in many battles and saw many of his clansmen die or get injured horribly, and while he helped as best, he could, he couldn’t risk using his powers. He took part in a raid and was captured by the English. His fellow soldiers and he were tortured. Kieran was whipped so hard that the skin on his back was almost flayed. If you ever see Kieran’s back, you’ll see what I mean”

Quentin nods, unable to say anything. He has noticed, though. Kieran never wears clothes that show part of his back. Aishlyn carries on: 

“Since the English couldn’t get any information from them, they killed most of the men, except for Kieran and another clansman. They managed to reach Robert’s camp, where they were healed. Kieran realized that the English had mentioned something about a clan, the MacFayden’s, while he was being tortured, and he realized that he and his men had been betrayed. He confronted the laird of the MacFayden’s, who laughed at his face. Robert didn’t believe in Kieran’s accusation. Kieran decided to gather proof. Not only they had been betrayed, but the MacFayden’s were also planning on selling all of them to the English. He tried telling Robert, but since he was still young, Robert didn’t believe him. Kieran was between a rock and a hard place. He couldn’t convince his clansmen to leave Robert’s rebellion, because they’d be branded as traitors. He couldn’t convince Robert or his advisors of the danger. The only choice he had was to fight and hope that they won the battle”

Aishlyn pauses, to take a glass of water. “I’ll finish with Kieran’s story and tomorrow, we’ll continue with TC’s and Lys’s. Where was I? Oh, yes. The battle began and Kieran noticed that some of the men of the MacFayden’s clan were leaving the battleground. He and some of his clansmen followed them and they saw that they were talking with a battalion of English soldiers. Kieran knew that his men and he couldn’t attack them, there were too many soldiers. The only option was to use magic, to scare the English and drive them away. But that would mean outing himself. He didn’t hesitate and created a storm that drove the English away. However, his clansmen had seen him doing magic and they became scared. He was hit in the head and when he came to, he was a prisoner of the English again, this time, betrayed by his clansmen. He was taken to England, where he was forced to work as a slave, for an English family, for 10 years. He returned to his clan, to find out that his family had been driven away. He searched for them, but none of the clans would give him the information. Finally, a faerie found him and took him to our headquarters, where he was reunited with his family. The Scottish faeries had rescued his family and taken them to the organization.”

Quentin sighs. Well, it’s not a fairytale happy ending, but at least Kieran was reunited with his family. “So, Kieran’s family is still alive? Where are they?” 

Aishlyn’s face falls. “His family wasn’t happy, living in an unfamiliar place. They went back to their clan, but they were met with distrust and hostility. They traveled around Europe, but they couldn’t settle anywhere. Kieran tried to get them to live in one of the worlds under our protection, one where magic users are accepted. But they couldn’t forget their ancestral home and they started traveling around. Kieran barely sees his parents. His brothers and sister too. They have never said it, but Kieran believes they blame him, for being driven away from their clan”

Quentin tears up. He doesn’t know what’s worse. Seeing your family die or knowing they are alive, but never seeing them? They end up the session and Quentin goes to his living quarters. His friends are there, having dinner and enjoying a quiet time together. He’s embarrassed about his earlier behavior, so he goes directly to his room, where he lies on his bed until he hears his friends are in their rooms too. He goes to the kitchen and grabs something to eat. He will apologize to them, but not tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm looking for a beta, so if anyone is interested, please, leave a message, in the comments section. Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Q continues learning about the backstories of his teammates, he gets a makeover and he learns how to shift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> This is part 3 of what was supposed to be the second chapter of the story! In this part, we learn about TC's and Lys's stories. For TC's character, I reference TC Callahan's backstory in the TV show "The Nightshift". In the show, part of TC's PTSD comes from seeing his brother die when he was protecting him, and TC not being able to save him, despite being an army surgeon.  
> About Lys's story, the catholic church didn't believe in witchcraft and often disregarded accusations of witchcraft, unless they had an element of heresy. In fact, most of the witch hunts and witch trials that happened in Europe, happened in protestant countries. The Inquisition prosecuted heretics and in Spain, after the Reconquest and the expulsion of Jews and Moors, they also prosecuted Jews and Moors that, even if they had converted into catholicism, they were suspected of engaging Muslim or Jewish practices.   
> Another thing. The Lamia, in Basque mythology, is a freshwater siren. She's depicted as a beautiful young woman, with long blond hair, that she loves to groom, with a comb made of gold. They look mostly human, except for their feet, which, depending on the stories and places, they are either a duck's or a goat's. The Lamia is usually helpful to those who give her a present.   
> Warning: This chapter also has references to depression, self-harm, and suicide.  
> I hope you like the chapter and as always, thank you for all the comments and kudos!  
> Stay safe and enjoy!

The following day, he goes to the kitchen, hoping to find them eating breakfast before they start training. However, he’s alone and he finds a note on the counter. The note says:   
“Hello Q! 

We’ve moved your training to the afternoon, so you can have your session with Aishlyn in the morning. Come and find us, in the eastern field, when you’re done. We’ll be waiting! Love, Kieran, Lys, Perce, and TC!” 

Well, it doesn’t sound like they’re angry with him. He guesses that Aishlyn must have told them about him having a day like yesterday. After he eats breakfast, he goes to his therapy session with Aishlyn, though he doesn’t know if what they’re doing today should be considered therapy. Still, she greets him and he takes his seat on the couch. She takes another file and murmurs: 

“Where were we? Ah, yes! Yesterday you learned about Perce’s and Kieran’s stories. Today, it’ll be TC’s and Lys’s. Then, we’ll discuss coping mechanisms for you, something that will help you, when you have bad days” Sounds like a plan. Quentin nods and waits for Aishlyn to tell him about TC and Lys. 

“Thomas Charles or TC was born in a small English village, not far from Oxford. Since his family was well off, he was sent to Oxford’s university, where he met a man, who became his lover. It was short-lived, though, as the English went to war with the French and TC joined the army. He fought many battles, earning the respect of his fellow soldiers. After some well-earned victories, he was allowed to go back home. However, darkness had spread through the continent and England wasn’t spared either” 

At Quentin’s puzzled look, Aishlyn clarifies: “I’m talking about the 100 Year’s War and the Black Plague, of course”

Quentin nods. Ok, Perce is 1100 years old, more or less, Kieran around 700 years old, and if he’s not mistaken, that would make TC around 600 years old. Wow. He wonders how long they’ve been working as agents. From what Aishlyn told him, Kieran seems to have been working the longest. What have they seen? And done? It’s a bit overwhelming when he thinks about it. Aishlyn snaps her fingers and Quentin realizes he’s gotten distracted. She continues speaking: 

“TC returned to his village, only to find that most of his neighbors had died of the plague and those who lived had been relocated. To prevent the spreading of the illness, the town had been burned to the ground. He went to Oxford. In the city, they had set an area, to isolate those people who contracted the sickness and for those who took care of the ill. They advised him not to go there, he risked becoming infected. But TC had to find his family and lover. He found his family. His father had died of the plague and his mother was sick and dying. His brother was taking care of them, as he hadn’t been old enough to join TC in the army. He searched for his lover, to find him sick too. He decided to stay and take care of him until he died. TC and his brother took care of their parents and TC, of his lover, until they died. The bodies were burned, to prevent the expansion of the disease. They couldn’t even bury the ashes or mark the final resting place of their loved ones. Feeling lost, TC decided to join the army again, for another campaign in France. This time, his brother joined him too, even if TC tried to convince him not to do so”

Aishlyn stops to take a sip of water. Quentin is crying softly. He’s really been an asshole. Even if it has been a long time ago, his friends have gone through some horrible things. He doesn’t want to hear Lys’s story, he doesn’t want to know what happened to her, though it must have been equally horrible. But if he wants to start overcoming his own trauma, knowing how his friends overcame theirs will help him. He urges Aishlyn to continue. 

“TC and his brother Henry go to France again. They’re placed in the same regiment, under the same commander. They fight several in several battles and TC is reckless, not caring about his safety and always going the first. His brother often argued with him, about his recklessness, how it put the whole regiment in danger. But TC didn’t care. In an assault to a French castle, he rushed first, without a care for his safety. His brother ran charged after him. TC was so concentrated in his attack, that he didn’t notice a Frenchman with a crossbow, pointing at him, until it was too late. The Frenchman shot, but TC’s brother jumped in and got hit. He was mortally injured and he died on the battlefield. TC went mad with grief. Because of him, his brother, the person he was supposed to protect had died. He truly became reckless then. He didn’t care whether he lived or died. He always signed up for the most dangerous charges, or ambushes, or scouting missions. He wanted to die on the battlefield and be done with life. He finally got his wish. In a battle with the French, he was mortally injured. TC prepared himself to die since the doctors of that time couldn’t do anything to heal his injuries. But destiny had other plans for him. One of the soldiers in his regiment was a werewolf and took TC out of the camp, to turn him. It worked and TC became a werewolf, though he was not happy about it. He ran away from the camp and from the soldier who had turned him, and spent years, roaming the forests, living as a wolf, barely turning into a human. He almost lost himself, becoming more animal than man. He was living as a wolf, wandering around the forests of Germany, when he came across a man, who didn’t smell human”

“it was Perce, right?” Quentin asks. 

“Yes” Aishlyn confirms. “Perce was living with a group of German mercenaries, and they were hunting a pack of wolves that were attacking cattle and villagers. They came across each other when Perce was following the tracks of a wolf. Perce knew that the wolf he was facing wasn’t an ordinary wolf. He tried to coax the wolf into getting closer to him, but the wolf would growl and run away. Little by little, Perce managed to gain the wolf’s trust, until it got closer to him. He was surprised to find, one day, a naked man asleep, next to him. TC didn’t like that Perce had managed to “tame” "Aishlyn uses quotation marks when saying it “his wolf, and he attacked Perce”

Quentin lets out a teary chuckle. “Yeah, that sounds like TC”

“Well, long story short, they fell in love and started traveling around Europe, trying to stay out of the religious conflicts that were happening all over the continent. A water sprite from Italy told them about the organization and they found a warlock that took them to the Headquarters. The rest, as they say, is history” 

Well, for once, the story has a happier ending. Though he feels it for TC, losing his family and lover, in such a short time. He feels a deeper kinship with him, as he has experienced something similar, with the death of his father, and him not being there, because of Fogg’s spell. 

“I don’t want to hear it, but I know I have to. What’s Lys’s story?” He asks. 

Aishlyn gives him the final file. “Have you ever noticed that Lys has a slight limp? It’s almost imperceptible and it happens when she’s tired, or the weather is very cold or wet. It’s because her right leg was broken, it wasn’t set properly, so it had to be rebroken again” Aishlyn explains. 

Quentin shakes his head. He’s never noticed it, the limp, but he has noticed that after a hard training session, Kieran will carry her, or give her a piggyback ride. He’s always thought it’s a couple’s thing but knowing that it makes more sense. 

“Lys was born in the Basque country, in a small town near Guernika. Her family had lived in the same town forever, with records going all the way to the early Middle Ages. Her mother was a wise woman, and she was consulted as a medicine woman. Her father had died, and her brother and sister were young. Lys apprenticed under her. She’s quite an attractive girl and even if she wasn’t of noble birth, she had her fair share of suitors. She attracted the attention of a local lord, who propositioned her. He offered her riches and lands, if she became her concubine, as the Lord was married. Lys rejected him, several times. The Lord, not happy with the rejections, decided a different approach. He accused Lys and her family of witchcraft. Now, we’re talking about Spain, shortly after the reconquering of the Peninsula, when Isabelle of Castille and Ferdinand of Aragon were ruling and united both Kingdoms”

Quentin does the math again. It must have been after 1492, so it’s the 1500s. That makes Lys, at least 400 years old. He also remembers that it’s when the Spanish Inquisition got its reputation as the most brutal inquisitorial police. He shudders at the thought of it. 

“Oh, so you’re familiar with the Inquisition. Well, as you know, the Catholic Church didn’t believe much in witchcraft, but since an accusation had been made, an investigation had to be carried out. And the Inquisition carried out the investigation. They were questioned, not tortured, as it was used as a last resort. The Inquisition found Lys and her family innocent of the accusations, and allowed them to return to their village”

Quentin breathes a sigh of relief. Noticing it, Aishlyn says “the story isn’t over. The Lord, frustrated that his ploy hadn’t worked, continued to pursue Lys. He came close to raping her twice, but both times, she managed to escape, barely” Quentin thinks that she must have used magic to protect herself. Aishlyn carries on: 

“The Lord decided to change tactics. The Queen and the King had decided to expel the Jews from Spain, even those who had converted to Catholicism. The Inquisition pursued the Jews that had converted, accusing them of being heretics. The Lord decided to accuse Lys and her family of being heretics, of being converted Jews. Now, remember. The Inquisition took the accusations of heresy very seriously and this accusation was done by a nobleman. Lys and her family were arrested and taken to the Inquisition’s tribunal. There, they were questioned, and when I say questioned, I mean torture. Even Lys’s brother and sister, who were 10 and 13, at the time. I’m not going to tell you what they did to them, but you can imagine. Lys’s leg was broken with a mallet, that’s why she has the limp”

Quentin feels nauseous. He remembers reading an article about the Inquisition and it pictured some of the devices they used to torture people with. He shudders. “How did they escape? Or are they dead?” He hopes that if they’re dead, they didn’t suffer at least. 

“No, Lys’s family is alive. Her brother works as a non-active agent, in another division. Her mother and sister, after traveling around the many worlds and dimensions, went back to earth a few years ago and they have a small business, in the town they used to live in. It’s a bakery/coffee-house/natural products shop. They make the products”

Quentin is relieved. But how did they manage to escape? 

“You want to know how they managed to survive?” Quentin nods. “The interrogations didn’t work. No matter how much they tried, the Inquisitors couldn’t get Lys and her family to confess, since the accusation was false. They offered them a deal. If they confessed, instead of being burned alive, they would be killed beforehand and only their bodies would be burnt. Lys and her family rejected the deal, always maintaining their innocence. They were found guilty and condemned to die, by burning. Before they could be killed, the priest from the village came with the records that showed Lys’s family had lived in the same town for centuries. One of the younger Inquisitors also pleaded for their case, supporting the priest. So, Lys and her family were acquitted and were freed. They went back to their village, but only until they healed. They didn’t want to remain close to the man that had hurt them so much. A Lamia, the Basque siren, told Kieran about Lys and her family, and he went looking for them. He took Lys and her family here and …”

“The rest is history?” Quentin finishes.

Aishlyn chuckles “Yes, as they usually say” She gets serious thought. “Quentin, as you have seen, you’re not the only one who has suffered. Bear in mind, that what they went through happened at a time when people were more superstitious, and they rejected anything that was extraordinary. You at least were in the company of people that could relate to what you were going through. You could talk to your friends about magic, you even told and showed your dad. And while it happened a long time ago, they carry the physical and psychological scars. Now you see them, well adjusted and happy, but it has been after hard work and after facing many obstacles. And like them, you can be happy too” 

Quentin reflects for a moment “How? How can I be happy when my brain breaks sometimes? What do I do, so days like yesterday don’t happen? Or like when I’m overwhelmed, or feel like not getting out of bed? How can I be happy when I’m catatonic?” He sounds bitter, but he can’t avoid it. 

Aishlyn pinches her nose and breathes deeply. “I know you think your depression makes things harder. I’m not going to lie to you. It does and it will. You’ll have days when you’ll feel frustrated, or overwhelmed, or you’ll feel everything is pointless. You must find ways to cope, something that lessens that noise in your brain, that tells you everything is pointless”

“I’ve tried, with meds, therapy, inpatient internment … And it hasn’t worked. I tried magic, but it was a poor substitute” He thinks about the spell he did with Emily Greenstreet after Alice had died. But it was temporary, and he’d always felt worst, after casting the spell. “And while I’ve tried drugs, I don’t like how they make me feel, so I tend to avoid them”

“Some of the things you’ve used as coping mechanisms are maybe the worst you could have used. How about exercise, taking up a hobby, … anything like that?” Aishlyn asks.   
“I’ve never been very athletic, and I’ve always liked reading and doing magic tricks, but nothing more” Quentin tells her. 

“Well, now with your training, you have the exercise covered” Aishlyn notes

“Yeah, I’ve noticed that I feel much better since I started exercising” Quentin admits. “But it only goes so far. I can’t be training 24/7”

“No, you can’t. Have you considered studying something new? Maybe a new field of study?” Aishlyn suggests. 

“Now that you mention it, I’ve become interested in biology and how magic affects biology, after coming back to life, and with my new body” Quentin says. 

“We have schools, where you could learn anything you want, where we follow the curriculums of the best universities on the different worlds and dimensions that we protect” Aishlyn says. 

Quentin nods. “I guess my friends will be able to tell me about it”

Aishlyn nods. “Yes, they’ll be more than happy to help you. Ask Lys or TC, they’re the more science-oriented ones. If your interests lie more in the humanities, Perce and Kieran are your guys. And if you seek a different field, I’ll get you in touch with the right person”

“I’ll think about it, but the biology thing sounds interesting” Quentin says. 

“And have you chosen your animal shape?” Aishlyn asks. 

“My what now?” Quentin asks, eyebrows raising. 

“Your animal shape” At Quentin’s confused look, Aishlyn laughs “Sorry, I thought they’d told you. One thing our scientists have discovered is that shifters benefit a lot from being in their animal shapes. They form very strong connections, even those whose animals aren’t naturally gregarious. They take comfort in being close to each other, often cuddling together. It’s most prominent in shifters whose animals usually live in groups, like wolves, lions, horses … But all shifters do it. And when you shift, since the animal brain takes the lead, it quiets down the noise. It has been proved to work quite well, with people that have suffered trauma” Aishlyn explains. 

“And, when you become normal again” Quentin can’t say, human, since many of the people aren’t “Don’t all the emotions come rushing in? And making things worse?” 

“One would think that it’s what happens, but no. Maybe it’s the chemistry of the animal’s brain, maybe is spending time only trusting your instincts … we don’t know what it is, exactly, but it works” Aishlyn tells him. “And the cuddle piles have proved to be strong bonding experiences. You should talk with your friends. You have a shifter, TC, and both Lys and Kieran have an animal shape. They can talk to you about their experiences and how the process works”

Quentin reflects on that. He’s always imagined what it would be like, to be able to shift. He remembers reading books, like the Animorphs series, and thinking how cool it would be, to be a tiger, or a bear, or a hawk, for a few hours. And if it helps with his issues, any coping mechanism is welcome. He’s curious about what animals Kieran and Lys shift into. 

He stands up. He has a lot to think about. However, he must apologize to his friends first. He hugs Aishlyn, and thanks to her for not putting up with his crap, for calling him out, when he has been acting like a jerk. He leaves Aishlyn’s office and heads to the eastern field, which has an obstacle course. On the way, he rehearses his apologies. When he gets there, his friends and teammates are waiting for him. They are chatting and laughing, showing a closeness that comes from years of being together. Quentin feels a bit like an intruder and hesitates when he gets closer to them. For a second, he thinks of going back and hiding in his room, but TC sees him and calls him: 

“Quentin! Come over, we’re waiting for you!”

He stops in front of them, shuffling his feet, not looking at them and wishing his hair was longer, so he can hide behind it. They remain silent for a few minutes until Lys breaks the ice: 

“Did you have a good session with Aishlyn?”

Quentin looks up, going beet red. “Uhm, yeah. Well, she talked more, but … eh … “ He doesn’t know how to tell them he knows about their stories, and how to approach the subject. 

“Did she show you our files?” Kieran is direct. 

Quentin nods “It was … very informative. You’ve been through so much. I don’t know if I would have been able to survive, some of the things you went through” 

“Our experiences may have been different, but we’ve all suffered the same. And we’ll carry the scars forever. Remember that while the scars never go away, they fade with time” Perce says. “Yours are fresher than ours and the pain is stronger. But the pain lessens”

“How? How do you make it, so it doesn’t hurt so much?” Quentin asks. “And what do I do, when the pain becomes too much and my brain tells me that it’s not worth it, that much suffering” He starts crying softly. 

Lys hugs him and then takes his hand “By remembering that you’re not alone, that you’re loved, that you’re wanted, that you’ll be missed if you went away. Q never fear if you feel overwhelmed. Don’t hesitate and come talk to any of us. Or Aishlyn, if you prefer. You’ll never be a burden, not even when you have bad days” 

Q lets out a sob and Lys hugs him again. One of his biggest fears has always been feeling like a burden to his friends, which explains why he didn’t tell any of them, not even Julia, that he was spiraling hard and fast. TC joins Lys in the hug. Perce puts a hand on his shoulder. 

“And don’t be scared that you’ll push us away, when you have bad days, or you lash out. We’ll be there, even when you’re at your worst. And trust me, it won’t be worse than Tee’s whining and moaning, because he’s a real drama queen”

TC lets out an offended “Et tu, Perce?” And mock punches his boyfriend in protest. Q lets out a watery laugh and opens his arms, to let Perce in the hug. Kieran joins in the group hug. “You’re our family now, and we protect our family”

After the hug, Q wipes his eyes “Thank you, guys and girl. It really means a lot” 

TC claps his hands “Now that we’ve been done being all mushy, let’s go have some fun!” 

They do the obstacle course, which is part of their routine. Since now Q is able to complete it, as fast as them, they like to make a race out of it, often proposing ridiculous wages, for the losers to do.   
After a few rounds, they walk back to their living quarters. While they walk, Q broaches the subject of shifting. 

“Tee, you’ve never told me what kind of wolf you turn into. Could you show me?”

The others share knowing looks. “Sure, Quentin dear. I turn into a Eurasian grey wolf” TC answers “One of the biggest kinds”

“And how big are you?” Q asks again, then immediately realizing how he’s phrased the question and blushing furiously. 

TC laughs “I’m big all over, Little Red. See my big eyes, and nose, and teeth … all to taste you all the better” 

Perce, Lys, and Kieran groan. “Please, my love. You’ve got a better strategy than comparing yourself to a character from a child’s tale” Perce says, no jealousy in his voice. 

“You know I only use my best lines for you, darling” TC bats his eyes at Perce, who mock punches him. 

Lys and Kieran roll their eyes at the couple. “Why the interest in Tee’s wolf?” Kieran asks. 

“Well, Aishlyn told me about shifting and using it, when I have really bad days. But I also realized that I’ve never asked you guys, things like your vampire abilities, Perce, or apart from turning into a wolf, what other powers do you have Tee, or the weaknesses we have, as warlocks. I still have a lot to learn” Q recognizes. 

“I’m surprised she didn’t mention the shifting when you started your sessions with her” Lys comments.

“I guess that what had happened and the remaining trauma of dying and coming back to life took precedence,” Q says. “After my little outburst, we’re talking about activities that can help. What animal do you shift into?” He asks Kieran and Lys. 

Lys pulls her right sleeve up. There’s a ripple and her right-hand turns into a huge feline paw, black, but Q can see a pattern of rosettes. 

“A black panther? Cool!” Quentin exclaims. “Kieran you too?” 

Kieran nods. “What has Aishlyn suggested, apart from shifting? We can help”

“Oh, eh, she suggests studying something new, maybe going back to college. Exercise, but that’s pretty much covered, with all the training. And maybe learning something new, like playing a musical instrument, or a language, or painting … However, there’s actually a couple of things that maybe you can help with” Q asks. 

“Name it, and we’ll do our best, to help you” Perce says. 

“First, I’d like to do something about my hair. I’ve always worn it long, except for the past months. And I’ve always used it to hide behind it. I don’t want to hide, not anymore” Q explains. 

TC rubs his hands. “Let me take care of that. I’ll give you a makeover and you’ll look so good, you’ll break hearts all over, staring with mine” 

Q laughs “I don’t plan on breaking hearts, but I put myself at your disposal”

“And the second thing?” Lys asks

“When I had bad days, especially at the beginning, I used to hurt myself. I also tried to kill myself, by cutting my wrists. The scars were reminders of what I survived. Since my old body got vaporized, I’ve lost all my scars and I’d like to get tattoos, in the place of my scars” Q’s eyes get a little wet. 

Lys hugs him. “Sure Q. One of our doctors is a tattoo artist. He does amazing work and he uses special ink, that promotes fast healing and doesn’t fade, with time, as regular tattoos do. We can see him tomorrow”

Q smiles “That would be great, thank you” He wipes his eyes again. He smiles. He feels at home with them. It’s strange, he’s only known them for a short time. But they have a way of making him feel welcome like Eliot did when they first met. When he thinks about Eliot, he thinks about his other friends. Julia, Alice, Margo, Kady, Josh, New Penny, Fen … How are they doing? He hopes they’re ok, together, fighting against the injustices of the Magician’s, or ruling Fillory, like the badass motherfuckers they are. He casts a little blessing spell that a healing priest has shown him. He hears someone clap their hands. 

“Are we going to stay all afternoon contemplating our asses, or are we going to train?” TC says.

Q shakes his head. “Race you! Loser has to dye their hair in zebra stripes and spend the day with the hair!” And he takes off. 

Not wanting to dye their hair, in zebra stripes, the others run after him, whooping and laughing. 

The following day, Q goes with TC and Lys to the medical bay, to talk to Alden, the tattoo artist. He tells him what he wants and where he wants it and they set a meeting for the next day. On his right wrist and arm, he gets the seven keys, linked by a chain. On his left wrist and arm, he gets the spell he and Kady used, when they searched for the Key of Unity, with the music score for the song “Under Pressure” and for his memorial, with the score for the song “Take on me”. On his right tight, starting from his knee and up, he gets an open book, from which things come out: small symbols that represent his friends: Alice’s glasses, Julia’s rings, Eliot’s waistcoats, Fen’s knives, Margo’s eye patch, Penny’s scarves … as well as symbols that represent their adventures: The Muntjack, the crowns of the kings of Fillory, Whitespire, the blue flame of a niffin, a golden spark, Blackspire, a small dragon, the grandfather clock, that opens the portal to Fillory … And on his left shoulder, he gets a golden mosaic tile, peach pink blossoms, and white plum blossoms and the words “Proof of concept”, to remind him of the life that never was. 

For his final change in his “makeover”, TC cuts his hair. He decides to give him a mohawk, though not an extreme one. TC cuts his hair shorter on the sides, without saving it off completely, while the hair on the top remains longer. That way, if Q wants to, he can use some gel to spike the mohawk, or just let it fall to one side. But he no longer hides behind it. Plus, it’s more comfortable in fights.   
He also spends some time thinking about what animal to choose, for shifting. He decides he’s going to get either a wolf or a big feline, and he spends some time researching the biology and features of different animals. He asks Lys, Kieran, and TC to shift into their animals, so he can see how it happens. He chooses an animal and now, he has a whole new set of skills to learn. Thank the gods, for his friends, because holy shit! Shapeshifting is hard. He learns how to shift from human to animal and back again. He learns how to maintain a half-human, half-animal shape, which allows him to use the animal’s abilities, while still being human. He learns how to stalk and hunt in his animal form, how to track his prey … He’s a little wary of the cuddle piles, but when he has another bad day and shifts, TC, Kieran, and Lys shift too, and they lie together, taking comfort in each other. The grooming doesn’t hurt either. 

Finally, he decides to start studying Biology and anatomy and Bioengineering and how magic affects the biology and anatomy of the body. Soon, his training will be complete and he’ll be ready to join his team in missions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm looking for a beta reader. Please, leave a message in the comment's section, if you're interested.   
> All my love!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quentin finishes his training and becomes an agent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> I wanted to update earlier, but I was working on these two chapters and it has taken me a bit longer than I realized. The mounts that Q and his friends ride on are inspired by some of the mounts from the World of Warcraft game, like the Acherus stallion, or the griffins. The Nameless will appear in later chapters too and we'll get to see characters interact with them.   
> I'm back to work and I keep my fingers crossed so that everything goes ok. For the moment, at the school, I work at, we have a few students that are at home, but we haven't had to close a classroom. Keep my fingers crossed! However, teaching class, with 30 students, when there are 30 degrees out, and wearing a mask, let me tell you, not the most comfortable thing. Anyway, let's hope that everything goes, relatively well.   
> Stay safe and wear masks, it really makes a difference!  
> And as always, thanks for all the comments and kudos!   
> All my love! 💜💜💜💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

Quentin finally finishes his training and his team takes him to the Organization’s Headquarters, so he can meet the Council, The Nameless, and to sign his name on the Agent’s book. They travel by portal, which is a first for Q. Kieran opens it, a swirly golden gate. They step in and Q feels like he’s being pulled forward, by his belly button. When he gets out of the portal, he falls on his knees. He’s woozy and his stomach is a bit upset. Lys gives him a bottle of water.

“Here, drink this. The first time you travel by portal is a bit unsettling and people get woozy. You’ve done better than Perce, though. He threw up the first time. He’d fed recently and it was like a scene out of a horror movie” Lys, Kieran, and TC laugh, while Perce rolls his eyes and offers Q a hand, so he can get up. Q looks around. They’re in a fairytale-like landscape. He sees a forest, with trees that are native to earth and some that aren’t, in colors that are never seen on earth, like blues, oranges, purples, or reds. Some trees have huge flowers or fruits. The forest looks like it’s a mixture of tropical, continental, and desert. He can hear a stream somewhere and flying creatures can be seen. There’s a palace that it’s a mix of different architectural styles. It should look chaotic, but they actually blend in pretty well. Part of the palace is in the water, probably to make it more accessible to water-dwelling creatures, like the Naga. There are also perches, like the ones for the birds, though these have been made, for much bigger animals. He startles a bit, when he sees a couple of dragons land, in one of the perches. Small pixies and will-o’-the-wisps fly around him. A will-o’-the-wisp starts flying around him and it sets on his shoulder. It’s strange, the wisp weights almost nothing, yet Q can feel the heat and it’s surprisingly soft and cuddly. Plus, it makes a sound, like the tinkling of bells. 

“Q, you’ve made a friend!” TC exclaims. The wisp tinkles happily and zooms around Q a couple of times, before settling on his shoulder again. 

“Wow, they are usually friendly, but they don’t really get that close” Lys comments. “They say it’s a blessing when a wisp chooses you”

Q blushes a bit. He puts out his hand and the wisp jumps on hit. Well, actually hoovers on it. “Hey buddy” He tries to pet it, but the wisp flies away, tinkling again. “I scared it”

“Don’t worry. It will come back” Kieran says. “Come on, we can’t spend the day strolling around”

They go into the building. The inside is as mixed as the outside. There are people walking around, some with robes and lab coats, some with, what looks like protective gear, some carrying around books. 

They all wave at them as they’re passing, but none stops to chat with them… It looks busy. 

“Welcome to Headquarters, Q. Here we have our main command center, our main library, and our main research facility. We also have our main weapons masters and our technology specialists” Perce explains. “We can choose a field of expertise, and do our research here, or at Division. And we have refresher courses, if we want to learn whatever new techniques have been discovered”

“We incorporate all we can from all the worlds and dimensions we protect, from technology to magic, to weapon-making, medicine …” Kieran adds. “It’s also a good way of getting to know the cultures and people of the places we protect. And if you’re interested in a particular branch of magic, technology, science, medicine, it allows you to travel to the place where it comes from” 

Q thinks it’s a good policy. He never got to ask about that in Brakebills. Do they offer courses for alumni, or once they graduate, they’re left in the world? He remembers the mentorship program and Margo’s and Eliot’s attempts to get Alice’s aunt to take them as mentees, but beyond that, he never got to figure out what former Brakebills students do. TC takes his hand and tugs him, making Q have to run. 

“Come on, I’ll show you one of my favorite places here!” TC says as he starts running, tugging Q behind him. The others follow them. They arrive at a clearing, with a building that looks like stables. They get in, and Q sees all sorts of creatures there: different bears, like polar bears or brown bears, creatures that look like a mix of dinosaur and hippos, winged horses, horses that look like they came from a hell dimension, griffins, saber-tooth like felines … Even dragons! 

“These are the stables for the council members and for the learners” TC explains. “All the creatures here are mounts and we use them for transportation” 

Q is awed. He thought he’d seen a lot, in Fillory, with the dragons, but, this is a whole new world for him. He wanders around, looking in awe, while the different animals stare at him, with curiosity. Some get close to the doors of their stalls and Q gets closer to them, letting them smell him. He gets to pet one of the griffins, a dragon, and one of the horses that look from a hell dimension. He conjures and apple for the horse, who readily eats it. The horse nuzzles Q’s hair as if asking for more. 

“Hey, he likes you!” TC says. “Do you know how to ride?”

Q, petting the horse’s surprisingly soft muzzle and forehead. “Yes. I used to go to cowboy camp when I was a kid. I went until I was 14” He admits, embarrassed. “But it’s been a while since I last rode a horse”

The others laugh. “I’ll be more than happy to give you a refresh course,” TC says, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively”

“Nah, I’m sure I’d find a much better teacher here” Q dismisses TC. 

“You wound me, Quentin!” TC says dramatically. “Darling, Q is mean to me. Comfort me!” He says as he jumps on Perce’s arms. Perce sighs but takes TC in his arms. “Come on, you big baby!”

Lys laughs at their antics and grabs Q’s arm “After we’re done with the Council and the Nameless, we can come back and go for a ride if you want to”

Q looks at her “Really? I’d love that”. They wander around the stables for a bit more, Lys and he talking about the mounts and which ones are adapted to what worlds, whether they can fly …  
Kieran then interrupts them “Guys, the Council is ready to meet Q. We must go!”

Q starts getting nervous. What if they say he’s not adequate? What if they split him from his friends and send him somewhere else? What if … His mind always does this, he always thinks about the worst possible outcome. He starts lagging, trying to avoid getting there. Kieran notices it. 

“Q are you ok?” He asks, concerned. The others stop. 

“I’m nervous. What if they say I’m not good enough?” Q voices his fears. “And the Nameless, what if they believe I’m not worthy of having been given a second chance? What if all of this goes away?”

The others look at each other. With a shrug of his shoulders, TC hugs Q, and the others follow him. 

“Q, today is more a formality than anything else,” TC tells him, trying to calm him. “It’s not an exam, where you must prove your abilities. Trust us, everything is going to be ok”

Q sighs, not too convinced. “Ok, let’s go, before I change my mind and run away”

They go to back to the main building and to the place where the Council meets. It’s like an amphitheater, in the open air, with space to accommodate beings that are bigger than humans. When they get there, Q sees that the Council members are speaking in small groups. Some have a strange glow around them, like an aura. Q guesses they might be gods and goddesses, or maybe faeries. Someone calls out for him: 

“Quentin!” It’s Metatron and God, who rushes to hug Q so hard, he gets a little winded. 

“It’s good to see you recovered. Percival, Thomas, Kieran, Lys” Metatron says, offering his hand, for Q to shake it, while he nods at the rest of Q’s friends. God nods vigorously. 

“Are you members of the Council?” Q asks.

“Not at the moment, no. Since she’s been lost for quite a while, I’m sure we’ll be on the rooster for being council members, in a short time” Metatron says, resignedly, which prompts God to elbow him. “I know, I know. We do important work here, but I’d rather be anywhere else, preferably a place with good tequila” God raises her hands in exasperation. “What, as if you didn’t prefer to spend the day playing skeeball, rather than talking about the dangers of the universes” 

God starts wagging a finger at him, then thinks about it for a second and then nods, dejected. Q observes the scene, shocked. 

“Wait for a second, God loves playing skeeball?” He asks. 

“She loves it, she could spend hours playing. And she always gives the tickets to the local kids. Isn’t that nice?” Metatron asks, sarcastically. 

Q can’t get over the idea that God loves playing skeeball. He stares at his friends, who shrug their shoulders. 

“God’s love for skeeball is famous. Almost all the worlds under our protection have arcades, where God can play” Kieran comments. 

Q shakes his head. It seems so ridiculous, God playing skeeball! He notices she’s staring at him, with a smile on her face. 

“Maybe one day we can go play” he suggests. God beams and hugs him again. Then, she starts pushing Metatron towards the Council seats. 

“Quentin, it’s been nice to see you again. Good luck in your new journey” Metatron says, before following God, to their seat. 

The Council fills up and Q’s friends explain who is who, and what world they come from. When all are present, the session begins. The spokesperson welcomes Q to the organization and asks him to sign his name in the book of agents. As soon as he’s finished signing his name, sparks fly and his name is engraved on a wall, amongst the name of other agents. The spokesperson tells him that since he’s a new agent, he won’t be on the rooster to become a council member for a couple of years, since he’s still learning. Q breathes a small sigh of relief. Becoming a council member, even if it sounds interesting, sounds overwhelming. He’s just gotten used to his new powers and abilities and he’s not even gone on one mission yet. 

After the signing ceremony, Q goes to meet the Nameless. He has a meeting with Them, in private. It lasts quite a while. He comes out and he’s completely dazed, his eyes glassy and he looks disoriented. He even trips and falls a couple of times, before he rejoins his friends. Before he gets to them, he stumbles a couple of times. He looks out of it. 

“They’re like no one you’ve ever met, right?” Perce asks. Q can only stare at him, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, still in a daze. He shakes his head, trying to clear it a bit. He nods, he feels like he can’t get his voice to work. 

“Yeah, I get the feeling,” Kieran says. “When I met them, I couldn’t talk for several hours, and I almost got lost, wandering around. Luckily, a very nice goblin found me and guided me back here"

Q gives Kieran a grateful look. He clears his throat, but he still can’t get his voice to work. 

“Hey, how about we go to the stables? Maybe we can go on a ride” Lys suggests. Q nods again and they go to the stables, the others taking care of Q. At the stables, they choose different rides. Q chooses the horse that he’d befriended before. They go on a stroll, showing Q the terrain that surrounds the council’s building. On the ride, Q feels less dazed and more alert. 

“Holy shit!” He exclaims. “Sorry, it’s just … I don’t know how to express it. Being with Them … I’ve never felt that way before” 

“It’s like being hugged by the best comfort blanket, isn’t it?” TC says. “Like feeling nothing can hurt you, as long as you’re in Their presence”

“Totally” Q agrees. They stop riding for a while, letting the horses graze some grass, and to give some of the other mounts, snacks. “Now that I’m a full-fledged agent, what’s next?”

“We move to one of our safe houses on earth, to monitor the possible activity of the Dark King and his army,” Perce says. “We must be careful, though, we can’t alert the local authorities we’re there”

Q gives him a confused look “Local authorities?” 

“Yes, the Library and the Old Gods” Perce clarifies. “They don’t like us getting in their territory”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve been wondering about that, whether the Organization has connections with the Library and the Old Gods. There are some earthly Gods in the organization, but not all of them are here” Q wonders. 

“It’s a long story, that goes back to when the Organization and the Library were being created” Lys explains. “They don’t like us interfering in their turf, so we try to help in secret”

Since Q still looks a bit confused, TC explains: “It’s like on those Crime Procedural shows, when different law enforcement agencies show, and they fight, to see who gets to solve the case”

“Like a jurisdiction problem?” Q comments. 

“Yes, though a bit more complicated” Kieran adds. 

“Why? Why can’t you work together, if your goal is to protect people?” Q asks. 

Kieran then starts explaining the story, why the organization can’t operate freely on Earth, and the worlds that are accessible from the Fountains of the Neitherlands. Lys, Perce, and TC add more information and Q gets the whole picture. 

“If we can’t go to Earth, won’t we be in trouble?” He asks. 

“Nah. If we have to go to Earth, or any of the world, accessible from The Fountains, agents from those worlds are sent. We’re not the only earthly creatures, there are even some agents from Fillory and other worlds. Just a few, there are. It’s easier for us to get under their radars” TC says. 

“We conceal our safe houses with very strong wards, and we use glamour spells that alter our physical appearance, just in case” Lys adds. “We’ll teach you a few easy spells. They’re fun to learn, you can give yourself, all sorts of makeovers”

Q nods his head “Huh, I guess that’s why we’ve never heard about you guys and the Organization. Hey, when the Old Gods turned off the magic, did it affect you?” It’s one of the questions he’s been wanting to ask. And he doesn’t know whether The Library has removed the siphon they placed on the Source of magic. 

Lys and Kieran share a look. “No, it didn’t, for a couple of reasons. First, different dimensions, what happens on Earth, doesn’t affect us as much as it would. Second, our magic doesn’t depend on the ambient magic as much as magicians, it comes from within us. And third, because of that jurisdiction thing, we don’t fall under the Old Gods’ supervision, so what they decide to do, doesn’t affect us” Kieran explains. 

Q nods in understanding. “So, where on Earth, are we going?” He asks. 

“To London,” Lys says. “We have a safe house in New York, and that would be the obvious place, but it lets us too close to the Library’s radar, not to mention the Old Gods’ activity is much more active than anywhere else” 

Q nods again, then chuckles “When you say activity, it sounds like a line from a Ghostbuster’s movie”

Lys sighs then laughs too. “We know. Wait until you see some of the gadgets our people have invented. Then you’ll feel like you’re in a sci-fi movie, or a James Bond one”

They joke around for a while, and they return to the stables. They groom the mounts, Q finding the task quite relaxing, and they go back to Division. The following day, they prepare their luggage: clothes, weapons, books, ingredients for potions … Aishlyn tells Q that they’ll have their sessions over video-conference, so that Q doesn’t have to portal in and out, every couple days. Lys opens a portal and they appear in London, in a Victorian mansion, right next to Green Park, on Picadilly street. On the outside, the house looks like the many Victorian mansions that can be found in the city. On the inside, Q sees that magic has been used, to alter the house. It’s huge. It has 3 stories. The ground floor has the communal areas: kitchen, living room, office, a den, with a huge entertainment center, a library, with several sofas and armchairs, a full bathroom, and a restroom. The first floor has the bedrooms, each with their ensuite bathroom. Q notices that there are more rooms than people. The top floor has its command center, a smaller version of the command center at the division. It also has an area designed for experiments and research and a huge library with magic books. 

The basement has been turned into a training area, with a gym, a tatami mat, and a spring floor, as well as a shooting range, for the bow and their armory. The house has a garden too, which is also huge. It’s a great spot for meditation. The decoration and the furniture are a mix of modern and antique, with warm colors and clear lines, that mesh up rather well. It’s cozy, without looking old fashioned.   
“Wow, this is amazing2 He says, wandering around the library. “The Organization really takes care of its agents”

The others laugh, and Q looks at them, confused. “What?” He asks. 

“The Organization takes good care of us, but the house is Perce’s. We each own houses, in different major cities, that we use as safe houses, when we must come to Earth” TC explains. 

Does Perce own the house? Wow, he must be loaded, Q thinks. All of the, for that matter. Then again, since the youngest of them is at least 400 years old, they must have amassed a fortune. 

“Perce is quite the whiz with finances and he’s bought the houses for all of us, as part of our investments. He’ll do the same for you, now that you’re an agent” TC says. 

“Wait, what? What are you talking about? Investments? What does it have anything to do, with me being an agent?” Q asks, confused. 

“Well, all agents, active and non-active are paid,” TC says. “The pay is quite generous, and Perce can help you invest it, so it gives you the most profit”

“How can I be paid, when I’ve just become an agent?” Q wonders. “Shouldn’t I have to have gone on some missions, or something like that?”

“No. As soon as you decided you wanted to become part of our organization, you started getting paid” Kieran takes out a laptop and shows Q the site of a bank. “See? This is the account we opened for you. Perce can’t wait to help you with the investments” Kieran winks at Perce, who smiles assuring at Q, who takes a look at the amount on the account and whistles. That’s a lot of money! Like a shitload! 

“Will you help me?” Q asks Perce. “I really have no idea of what to do with all that money and I think that I’d spend it all in books”

“Sure, Q. We can start tomorrow. I have my eye on a few properties that would be great additions and it would be a nice way of starting your investments” Perce tells him. 

Q breathes a sigh of relief. “Thanks. I really wouldn’t know what to do, at all” He walks around. “What are we going to do here?” He’s curious about their task. 

“We’ll monitor any possible activity of the Dark King and his / her army. We think that he/she’s going to try to launch an attack through any of the worlds that are accessible through the Fountains, including Earth and Fillory. He/she won’t do it through any of the worlds protected by the Organization, he /she already tried it” Lys says. “We’ll also work on your portals, so you learn how to create them and how to travel, from place to place and world to world”

“Not to mention the daily training” TC adds. “Just because we’re on Earth, doesn’t mean you’re scot-free”

Q mock punches TC in the arm. “I think you’re talking about yourself” TC laughs. 

Lys claps her hands “Hey Q, I realized. You don’t have many clothes. How about we go shopping? I’ll show you a glamour spell and you can practice”

Q groans. Shopping, he hates shopping, unless it’s for books. But Lys is right. He needs clothes, he can’t spend all his time, in his training clothes or his uniform. Lys teaches him a spell that allows him to alter his features. He gives himself a hooked nose and a beard, he has fun deciding the length of it. They spend the afternoon shopping. It’s not as bad as Q has thought it would be, since they go to the Harry Potter shop, in King’s Cross station and the Waterstones bookshop, in Piccadilly street, where he spends an incredible amount of money. 

Over the next days, Lys and Kieran teach him how to create portals. At first, only to go from one room to the other. Then, from one part of town to another. Little by little, they keep making the distance bigger, like going to Scotland, or Ireland. He has a few near misses, for example, in Scotland, he miscalculates, and since he’s thinking about Loch Ness, they fall right in the lake. Q discovers that if he creates the portal when they travel, he doesn’t feel as dizzy, as when Kieran or Lys create it. Once he’s mastered traveling medium distances, they start working with longer distances. They visit many places in Europe like that, like Berlin, Paris, Rome … They go visit Lys’s family, who welcomes Q and name him an honorary cousin. Then, they try even bigger distances. They steer clear of the US, for the moment, but they go to Japan, China, Korea, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, some islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans, even the two poles. Q gets the hang of it and becomes quite proficient, but he’ll never be as exact as Kieran. Maybe it comes with him being a marksman, Q thinks. 

A couple of weeks after they’ve arrived, they get a message from Division, asking for TC and Perce’s help, in a mission. TC explains that it’s something usual. Depending on how dangerous the mission is, two or more teams will carry it out, or a team can request the assistance of agents from other teams. So the two of them leave but promising to be in touch, as much as they can. The mission won’t take too long, a couple of weeks. TC jokingly says that they’ll try to be back, for Q’s first mission, they don’t want to miss Q’s baptism in fire, to which Q responds by threatening TC, to light his ass, on fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm looking for a beta reader. if anyone would be interested, please, send me a private comment. Thank you!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Q recovers and trains, what have his friends being doing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, two chapters in one day!  
> I wanted to finish this chapter and post it. I'm not entirely happy with some of the parts, I might go back and revisit, but if I didn't publish it, I would be revising it forever 😅  
> I hope you like it!   
> As always, thanks for all the comments and kudos!   
> Stay safe and strong!! 💙💙💪🏼💪🏼  
> In this chapter, since both Penny from the 40th timeline and Penny from the 23rd timeline appear, Penny 40 will be Penny and Penny 23, just 23, to differentiate them. In the next chapters, since Penny 23 will be the only one to appear, I'll be calling him Penny.   
> Warning: the chapter makes reference to Quentin's state of mind in s4, especially at the end, and his death. Also, there are references to depression and suicide.

While Quentin is recovering and then training, his friends have gone on with their lives. However, instead of remaining united, as Penny told Q they would, they have just drifted apart, each doing their own thing. After Quentin’s funeral, they promised that they’d help each other, that they’d continue helping each other, as questers, but the truth is that one of the things that kept them together is no longer there.

**Julia** , after recovering from the axe’s wound, spends her days trying to regain her magic. She’s offered a place in the Graduate Program, at Brakebills, by Fogg. She declines the offer, finding it a bit insulting, after they had deemed her unfit of joining when Q and she went through the test, ages ago, it seems. Fogg, feeling quite guilty for his involvement in many of the problems they’ve had, offers her an alternate choice: she can follow some sort of independent studies, which means she doesn’t have to join the classes, but she has access to the Library, the labs, and the classrooms. One of Fogg’s condition is that she gets tested for her discipline, which turns out to be knowledge, with an emphasis on meta-composition. Another of Fogg’s condition is that she has lessons with him, as they share the same discipline. Julia agrees. While not too happy about the lessons with Fogg, being able to access to Brakebills’ resources suit her just fine, as she needs them, for the secret project she’s working on.

She takes up a room at the Physical Kids Cottage, Q’s room. She puts his things in boxes and stores them in the closet. When someone suggests that she throws them away, she gives them such a scary look, the person never suggests that again. She also keeps her room in Kady’s condo, and she alternates from one place to the other.

She has two screaming matches with Penny 23. One, for Penny 23 making the Binder’s choice, instead of traveling into her mind and asking her what she wanted to be. The second one is about what happened in the Mirror world and why he didn’t try to save Q too. Alice has told her that Q could have run, that Penny 23 could have traveled and gotten Q out, but he didn’t. Penny 23 doesn’t try to argue with her, since he knows she won’t listen. They reach a sort of impasse, they don’t break up, but they don’t go out on dates or act like a couple. They are civil to each other but not as close as they had started to become. Penny 23 is trying to get back in her good graces, however, she’s not making it easy for him.

She speaks mostly with Kady, who’s busy, as the leader of the New York hedges. She hasn’t spoken to Alice since the memorial, as Alice has been holed up in her mum’s house, same with Eliot and Margo. It seems that whenever she tries to talk to him, he runs away and Margo follows, glaring at Julia. She knows that Eliot has been deeply affected by Q’s death, maybe even more than Alice, which is puzzling for her. She knows he and Q were close, but she senses that there’s a story there, something that Eliot isn’t telling. She knew that Q was hiding something too, something that had to do with Eliot, the way he went out there, trying to save him. She thinks she should have tried talking to Q about that, why he was so hellbent in saving Eliot when everyone else told him it was near impossible. She knows she should have pushed the issue, maybe it would have helped things better. But she’ll never know, unless she manages to get past Eliot’s bodyguard, Margo. And Margo, she only has two priorities: Fillory and Eliot. So, it’s not like she has a lot of help with her secret project, either.

And the secret project she’s working on bringing Q back from the dead. She hasn’t told any of their friends, not only because they’re dealing with their own shit, but because they’ll try to convince them it’s no use, that she should let go of Q, that she should let him rest. But she can’t. She knows that Q would have done the same thing for her, for all of them, heck, he already did it, with Alice, even when their relationship wasn’t at their best. She can’t let him down, not now, not after having let him down for months. Because Julia knows. As angry as she is with Alice, Eliot, Penny, Kady, Margo .. and Q, the person she’s most angry with, is herself.

She saw the signs. She knew. The last months, before they banished the Monster Twins, Q’s mental state had become worse. Q stopped eating, he smoked more, he barely slept, he didn’t care about his safety, even threatening a God-killing Monster, which really scared her. She knew Q was not ok, that he was spiraling fast. But she was busy trying to recover her magic, preoccupied with Penny 23. She thought that after the Monsters were banished, she would be able to talk to Q, get him to see a therapist, get him to go on his meds again. But it was too late. Q died and she lost her best friend, her oldest friend. She misses him like crazy and she knows that they have done some pretty shitty things to each other since Brakebills came into the picture, but they managed to overcome their problems and the past months were like old times, him and her against the world. So, no matter how long it takes her, she’s going to bring him back from the dead. She owes him that, at least. And accepting Fogg’s stupid request, to be tested for her discipline has suiter her just fine. As a knowledge student, she has access to a part of Brakebills library that it’s not accessible to other students, where there are rare magic books. Surely, she might find how to create a sure-fire spell, to bring a person, back from the Dead. She’ love to be able to consult Hades, but she thinks that the God won’t be too happy with her, as Persephone died while trying to protect her from the Sister. She makes do with what she has, and she’s slowly making some progress.

**Eliot** spends some time recovering from the ax wounds and the sequels the Monster has left on his body. Thanks to the magic let out by Everett, when he exploded, Lipson has been able to heal the damage done by the Monster. The psychological damage is a whole other problem. Lipson recommends therapy and a couple of AA groups, for magicians. He’s not so sure about that, but Margo, in her no-nonsense voice, orders him to pick at least one of the two options. He chooses the AA group, as he can just sit back and listen to others talk, while he wallows in his grief. Margo keeps saying that she needs to go to Fillory, to recover her crown, but he’s not as interested as he was before. Fillory doesn’t feel like home, not like it did, before his possession. The Physical Kid’s Cottage doesn’t feel like home either. Both places are filled with memories about him and Q, spending time together. The condo is just a place to sleep. He spends most of the time in a room, lying on the bed, looking at the ceiling, or a wall. And he thinks about Q, and how to live in a world without him.

He knows Margo is, not exactly angry, but puzzled as to why he’s so affected by Q’s death. Because of his colossal stupidity, he can’t grieve Q as he’d like. Since Q was with Alice when he died, she gets to play the grieving widow, while Eliot can only grieve for him, when he’s alone. He believes it’s unfair, since no one loves Q more than he does, not even Alice. Alice, who by the look of it, is sleeping with Kady, he bitterly thinks. He can’t even bear to look at her and hates her, especially when they’re in the same room, and she starts crying, as soon as he looks at her. He’d like to tell her to stop crying, to stop pretending to love Q when she’s already moving on with someone when he can’t even tell the others how much he loved Q. he wishes he’d told Q something, as soon as he’d been freed, but Margo had hit him pretty hard, and bleeding in a forest, isn’t how he wanted to tell Q that he loved him. He let Margo take charge, while Lipson healed him, with the hope of finding Q when he woke up, hoping he’d finally get the chance to make things right by Q. He woke up to find a different situation, though. Margo and Julia were next to his bed, crying, and in broken voices told him that Q had died at the Seam. He saw Alice lurking around, outside his room, hesitating whether she was welcome or not, which only managed to make him angry, that she couldn’t bear to tell him the news.

When Margo spoke of Q’s memorial/funeral, he didn’t hesitate and asked for a peach, even if the request puzzled Margo. In a rare moment of companionship, while they were all singing “Take on Me”, he grabbed Alice’s hand, a truce, in their grief. After that, it’s fair game, especially considering how Alice reacts, when she sees him. He barely speaks to Julia, even if they can both relate to having gone through a similar experience. Well, if there was a competition, he’d win, hands down. They can’t really compare his almost year-long possession, to the few days Julia was possessed. So, no companion on that front either. That, and the fact that she was Q’s companion, for most of the time they took care of the Monster, which means she has a better insight into what Q was going through. Just like he blames Alice, for bringing Q to the Seam, he blames Julia, for not noticing how badly Q was doing.

He blames Q, for doing something stupid and heroic and not doing the smart thing. It’s easy to blame Q, since he can’t defend himself, for being adorable, and managing to get past the walls Eliot has built through the years. For making him think that he’d be able to have a meaningful relationship with a person, that he was worthy of being loved unconditionally. However, Eliot knows that he blames himself, for not taking the chance of being with Q, when he had offered it, that day, in the Throne Room. When he’s in his room, at the condo, he goes over and over that moment and thinks about how things might have changed if he had said yes to Q. Margo gets worried when he hides in his room, since he spends hours, even days, without coming out. Considering how he reacted after Mike’s death, Eliot understands her worries. In order to ease her worries a bit, and mostly to get her off his back, he promises that he’ll help her get her throne back. What she doesn’t know is that after he does that, he’s done. He’ll go to Fillory, he’ll find the Mosaic and live the rest of his days there, until he’s reunited with Q.

**Margo** has two worries in her mind: Eliot and Fillory, Eliot being the most pressing one. She knows that her throne is in good hands, with Fen and Josh and she hopes that Tick doesn’t try to trick Fen, into some crazy shenanigan. Eliot is a whole different enchilada. When she and Julia told him that Q had died, he’d become so overcome with grief, that she thought he might do something crazy, like kill himself, via overdose. Taking into account, how he had acted after Mike, and that he wasn’t as close to Mike as he was to Q, for several days, she worried about his sanity. Then, there’s also his reaction. Anyone who doesn’t know Q and Eliot would think that they were lovers before Q died, they way Eliot reacted. She knows there’s a story there, something that Eliot isn’t telling her. It becomes very telling, the way he reacts when he sees Alice, how he stares at her, with almost hate in his eyes, and the minute she’s out of his sight, the hate is replaced by grief.

So yeah, something must have happened between those two idiots, neither of them saying anything about it. It kind of irks her, that there’s something about Eliot that she doesn’t know, something only Q knows about. She tries asking Julia, or Alice but neither can give her an answer, only that Q went out of his way, to try and free Eliot from the Monster, even when everyone told him that the Monster had to die. Kudos to Q, for being a stubborn son of bitch and not letting anyone convince him, that any other option, rather than freeing Eliot was better.

Margo feels a bit guilty, for not being in New York, for most of the time Eliot was possessed. Hey, she was ruling her kingdom, worrying that the Lorians might go to war and then, she went on a fucking quest of her own, across the desert, to find the weapons to free Eliot! She has done her part, no, she has fucking given up her crown to save Eliot, and the others too! She doesn’t get why some of their friends try to downplay her contribution, especially Julia, since thanks to her badass axes, she’s no longer possessed by the Monster’s sister. But she kind of feels where Julia is coming from. She misses Quentin too; she missed their little nerd. She knows that something wasn’t entirely right with Q, but she had more pressing issues, they all had them. At that moment, she needed them not to cock out and maybe she should have reminded Q about the be smart, not stupid, and brave spiel, but it’s too late now. Nerd Boy was braver than smarter and, well, they held a fucking memorial in his honor. But now, it’s time to move on. Fillory awaits her, she wants her crown back. It’s time for her and Eliot to go back to Fillory.

**Alice** spends about a month, in her mother’s house, holed up in her room, and occasionally going back to the condo, to help with some issue, but spends most of the time hiding. She tries to avoid the condo, asking Kady or Julia, to come to her house, because she doesn’t want to see Eliot. Whenever she sees him, she starts crying, which makes Eliot look at her with disdain. She hates herself for being so weak, but she blames Eliot, for Q’s death and hates him for it. She also blames Q, for making her get hopeful about their relationship, and then dying, just as they’d gotten back together. Since she doesn’t want to go to Brakebills either, the only place she can hide in is Stephanie’s house. Her mum, oh, crap, Stephanie, just lets her be and doesn’t bother her. She seems to have gone, almost to was she was like when her dad was alive, Alice thinks. She doesn’t throw the lavish parties they once did, but she’s hosted a few diners with magicians. Alice has spent those evenings holed up in her room, with a sound-canceling spell, so she doesn’t hear the noise.

While she’s hiding, Zelda comes several times and sends her many letters, asking her to take over the Library. Alice rejects all the offers. She doesn’t want that kind of power, not after what happened with the Keys and what she tried to do with them. She doesn’t know why Zelda might think she’s the best for the job, so, she rejects her offers, hiding under the duvet of her bed. She doesn’t even want to hear what Kady says to her when she come to visit. Kady is the only person who comes to see her. Julia hasn’t spoken to most of them, almost since Q’s funeral. Whenever she sees Eliot, she cries and Eliot doesn’t want to be with her. Alice believes he holds her responsible for Q’s death, as much as she holds him responsible. Margo only cares about Eliot and Fillory, which suits Alice just fine. A person less to worry about. And Penny 23, well, being from another timeline, they’ve never been really close, and he’s more preoccupied with whatever he has with Julia. The few times Kady has managed to get in her room, she has brought booze and they’ve spent the time drinking and just being there. She feels a sort of kinship with Kady, they’ve both lost their significant others to magic, or because of magic. They don’t speak, but for Alice, it’s sort of comforting, even more than what Stephanie has told her.

However, Kady’s patience only lasts for some time and it doesn’t take long, for her to find out about Zelda’s offer and to come knocking on her door. Kady almost pulls Alice, forcefully out of bed, making her take a shower and go with her to the Library, to listen to what Zelda has to say. Zelda tells them that reasons she has for Alice to take over the Library, none of which have anything to do with her abilities as a magician, but with her personal experiences. Alice has seen the good and the bad sides of magic. Alice rebukes that Kady has gone through that too, all of their friends have. She has a thirst for knowledge. Alice retorts that Julia has a thirst for knowledge too. Zelda also says that Alice makes good and level-headed decisions. Alice quips back, reminding her of the fiasco with the Keys when she decided that since she’d been hurt by magic, magic was bad for everyone and that its use should be controlled and limited. Zelda replies that all of those reasons make Alice the best candidate to run the Library. When Kady ask Zelda, why she doesn’t take over, Zelda says that she’s never been much of a leader and having more free time gives her the opportunity to mend things with Harriet.

Alice doubts. She doesn’t want that kind of power and responsibility, not with her history. Zelda tells them they’re desperate. Now that the Order is in tatters since the MacAllistairs have gone into hiding, the Library is running on fumes. Zelda also adds that she doesn’t want anyone belonging to the Library, to take over because she fears that history might repeat itself. For Zelda, Alice is the best option. Alice discusses the offer with Kady. She tells Kady about her fear, of becoming another Everett. Kady offers to help her, to be there for her. With Kady’s backing up, Alice accepts Zelda’s offer, but with a few conditions.

Per the new Library policy, the siphon that controls the flow of magic is removed. Between Alice, Kady, Zelda, Sheila, and a couple of Librarians, they wedge out Everett’s loyalists, those who want to continue with the old elitist ways. They decide to give access to all magic users, whether they’re classically trained magicians or hedges. They set up a council, to discuss magical matters, formed by Librarians, Brakebills magicians, and hedges and they send out feelers, to any magical creature that wants to join in. Kady is a huge help in that since she has many contacts. They also work on removing the worms, safely, eliminating the Dewey marks, and making it safe for hedges to practice magic again. It takes time, since the Everett loyalists, while not many, they put up a fight.

The biggest problems they find, are with the magical contracts. They try to alter them especially those clauses that are more abusive, like the number of years that the contract lasts, going beyond the death of the person. Since part of the contracts are connected to the Underworld’s Library, they also need Hades’ approval, but the God hasn’t been seen for a while, since Persephone died. So they work with what they can and try to alter the contracts as much as they can, making them less abusive.

Alice finds that immersing herself in work helps her not to think about Q, or not as much. When she finds a moment of rest, that’s when she starts going over her head, about her last moments with him. She starts wondering whether they’d made the right choice, getting back together. The truth is that she feels that they’ve never really worked as a couple, because it felt like they were out of sync, most of the time. She thinks that they never should have become more than friends, but the pull of Mayakovsky’s spell and running as foxes had been too much. She also wonders if them getting back together, before Q died, was a result of the Time Share spell. Being with the Q of the first time they got together, reminded her of how nice it had been at the beginning, how good Q was with her, and to her. She remembered the best moments of their relationship, and she thinks that it may have been the same for Q, though she can’t tell for sure. Then, there’s also the fact that after she betrayed their friends, she’d felt cast out the group and Q was the first one to welcome her back, then Kady too.

Now that they’re working closely together, Kady becomes her confidant. Alice moves out of Stephanie’s house and takes a room in the condo. She avoids Julia and Eliot, and Margo by association. Kady and her spend many nights talking and sharing drinks. During one of these nights, after having a cry, over Q and Penny, Alice, quite drunk, leans over Kady and kisses her. She blushes furiously and apologizes, sounding a lot like Q, when he got flustered. Kady doesn’t seem very fazed, she just gently grabs Alice, by the back of her neck, and kisses her back. They kiss, for several minutes, and Alice thinks that it feels so good and she hasn’t thought about Q in a while. They go to bed, but they don’t have sex, since they both kind of fear that this is just a drunken mistake. But when they wake up, the following morning, they look at each other, Kady, with a tender look, Alice with a look of wonderment and they kiss again, this time, both of them, with clear heads.

They decide to give it a try. The relationship is new, very hesitant. Alice has never been with a woman and she feels unsure. She doesn’t want this to be a rebound, she likes Kady way too much. They decide not to tell anyone, they don’t want the others judging them. Well, it’s not like they’re too close to each other, anyway.

**Kady** continues to work with the Hedges and continues her fight, for the Hedges to have better conditions. Harriet is her most trusted ally and she has the backup of her coven. She’s been in touch with most of the covens of New York City and she’s trying to reach out for the covens of the major cities too. She manages to get the covens in a meeting, to discuss new policies, recruiting, and how to avoid turf wars. They also discuss the removal of the worms and how to deal with the Library. In that meeting, Kady is sort of elected the defacto leader of the Hedges of New York, something she’s not happy about. She’ll fight for their rights, for better conditions, for equality for all magic users, but she doesn’t want to be the leader of the hedges. There’s too much infighting, turf wars, over the stupidest things and, while people like Marina, don’t make her job any easier. Granted, Marina from the 23rd timeline is not as psycho as Marina from their timeline was, she’s more reasonable, but she’s against any form of cooperation amongst covens, only worrying about her own profit.

As she becomes the leader of the Hedges of New York, Pete comes back, to offer his services as her second in command. She reluctantly accepts. He’s well connected, he knows most of the covens in the city. However, Kady doesn’t truly trust him, as he’s been way too close to Marina from their timeline, and she thinks he might way for the best moment to screw her over. But Kady is pragmatic and she can’t afford to worry about where Pete is. Better to keep him up close, so she can watch him over.

She gets Alice out of her funk and gets her to consider Zelda’s offer, to take over the Library. Kady knows why Alice is reluctant at first. After the clusterfuck that were the Keys, she gets why Alice doesn’t want the power that comes from the position. But Kady knows that Alice, with all her talent, can turn the Library into what it’s supposed to be: a place where people can go looking for knowledge, where information is freely given and shared, what a library should be. Since Alice is doubtful, Kady tells her that she’ll help her, that she’ll call her out, if she starts becoming like Everett.

They set to work, to create a much opener Library, accessible to anyone who wants. They create a council, where they discuss how the Library, the Hedges, and Brakebills can cooperate. Kady works with Zelda and Harriet, into creating a program for hedges who want to learn more, maybe even internship programs. It’s not easy. The hedges don’t trust the Library, they’ve been mistreated for many years, and the worms were the last straw.

She also helps Alice and Zelda to look at the contracts. The idea is to find a way to make the contracts less binding, not as long, because, come on! Who the hell creates a contract that lasts a billion years, and is valid, even after the person who signed it is dead? It’s a difficult task. Magic contracts are binding, and breaching any of the clauses, can result in horrible consequences. Case in point, Penny’s death. However, the task is difficult, since there are like a million fine print clauses and whenever they seem to find a loophole that might help them, another clause appears, that negates that loophole. There’s also the little snag of needing Hades, to sign his approval. The God hasn’t been seen in months though. The rumors that come from the Underworld, through the dragon that lives halfway, say that Hades has gone into hiding, with instructions not to bother him, while he mourns for Penelope. Kady gets that the God wants to mourn in peace. Alice holed herself in her room, and she found the solace of the drugs, to deal with Penny’s death.

So, working so much with Alice, they become really close. Even if Margo and Eliot still live at the condo, they’re each doing their own thing, and most of the time, they don’t bother with the others. Julia also spends a lot of time at Brakebills, though they find time to hang out. Kady feels that Julia is hiding something from her, and she wishes Julia would trust her, with whatever she’s doing. She knows it’s better not to ask, though. Luckily for her, Penny 23 doesn’t spend as much time at the condo, as the others. It seems that whatever fight he and Julia had, has been resolved, though they’re not dating, or at least it seems like they’re on a break.

Alice and her. They spend hours talking about their shitty family lives. It makes Kady laugh, to think that Alice comes from an elite family of magicians, yet her mom is as screwed up as hers was. They also talk about what is like to lose one’s significant other and how to deal with the pain. For Alice, the pain is more recent. Moreover, it was sudden, not like Penny’s death was. Still, both have lost them to the Library, which is kind of ironic, that now both are working at it.

It’s in one of those nights, after having drunk a bottle of wine and having lied at the sofa, that Alice, quite drunk, leans over and kisses her. Alice blushes furiously and apologizes. Kady chuckles grabs Alice by the neck and kisses her back. They kiss, for several minutes, softly nipping at each other lips, tongues tangling … When they come out for air, they stare at each other, but it’s not awkward, it’s more like, why haven’t they been doing this earlier. They go to bed and they sleep together, but they don’t have sex. It’s way too early and Alice has never been with a woman before. When they wake up, Kady fears that Alice will try to downplay it as a drunken mistake. Though Alice manages to surprise her, by kissing her and says that she doesn’t regret it.

They have a serious talk, about them becoming an item. Kady has been mourning Penny for some time and Alice just got back together with Quentin before he died. Kady doesn’t want to be Alice’s rebound and she tells her that. Alice confesses that she thinks that Quentin and she should never have gotten together. She tells Kady about her more than confirmed suspicions that Quentin and Eliot were more in love with each other, and that she got back with Quentin, because of the time-share spell and because she felt out of place in the group. Alice also tells her that she doesn’t want a rebound, which makes Kady happy. They decide to keep it on the downside. They don’t want the others judging them, especially Alice. Well, not that it’s a huge problem anyway, since they aren’t in each other’s pockets anymore.

**Penny 23** doesn’t know where he stands. He’s in a timeline that isn’t his, with people that look like his friends, and yet, they’re completely different people. Here, they compare him with the Penny of their timeline, which is unsettling. He was finally making some headway with Julia, after realizing that she was completely different from the Julia of his timeline when the whole thing with the monsters happen. Then, Julia gets injured and he’s forced to make a decision that affects her. And then, Coldwater has the gall of dying, trying to save the world. The result? That Julia gets mad at him, for making the decision and for not doing anything, to save Coldwater. Ok, in hindsight, he could have handled the whole Binder thing better. He could have gone into her mind and asked her what she wanted to be. He could only think how close he’d become to losing her again and the thought of losing her forever, if she became a Goddess, was too much to bear.

Then, there’s the whole thing with Coldwater. Julia can’t get past the idea that he could have traveled and saved Quentin, from being vaporized. So, they have two screaming matches, well, Julia does most of the screaming, while he listens. He doesn’t even try to defend himself. Yes, he saw what Quentin was going to do, the guy has always had shitty wards. But there was also what Penny from timeline 40 had told him, to do as Quentin asked him to do and that he’d know when the moment came. Instead, he listens to Julia’s recriminations, while he wonders how in hell, they have reached that point.

They come to an impasse. They don’t break up, but they aren’t together either. They don’t go on dates, though they don’t scream at each other anymore. They’re very civil to each other. Penny wants to get back on her good graces and he offers his help, in whatever project she’s working on. See, the thing about knowing a person so well is that you know when that person hiding something. He knows that Julia is working on something big, something that has to do, either with Coldwater or with her Goddess magic. She has the same focused look, the Julia from his timeline used to have when she worked on an important project. She doesn’t make it easy for him, though. He tries anyway.

Since he hates being idle and Julia doesn’t want his help, he, begrudgingly offers his services, as a traveler, to Margo and Eliot, whenever they’re ready to go back to Fillory. He hates being treated as nothing more than an interdimensional taxi. However, Margo and Eliot don’t seem very ready to go to Fillory, at least Eliot doesn’t. He’s hesitant, but he offers his services to Alice and Kady too. They thank him for it, but they say they don’t need him. So, he thinks about his timeline and sometimes he wishes he could go back, even if death awaits him on the other side.

**Penny 40** has been watching his friends, and the new him, go on with their lives, after Quentin’s death. He’s kind of relieved that Quentin isn’t in the Underworld, where he might have seen, how his friends have drifted apart, after his death. He’d be so disappointed, and he’d probably yell at Penny, for lying and saying they’d be ok.

Hades, in one of the few meetings he has with him, tells Penny that Quentin is alive and no longer in the Underworld. The God tells Penny that an incredibly powerful force snatched Quentin, as soon as he went through the archway and brought him back to life. It’s kind of good news, bad news. Ok, it’s good news, since he’s alive and somehow well. It’s bad news since whatever snatched Quentin’s soul from the Underworld, is incredibly powerful, even more, powerful than the Old Gods. And Gods know what kind of cosmic forces are out there, and whether they’re malicious or good. Hades eases his mind, kind of. He tells Penny, that whatever force took Quentin, not only is incredibly powerful, it’s benevolent too. Well, that’s a relief. However, Hades also tells him that Quentin is no longer under the Underworld’s or the Library’s radar, so there’s no way of knowing where he is.

Then Hades goes into hiding, asking not to be bothered, so he can mourn his beloved. The Library runs on its own, and Penny continues with his new job. One of the things he can do, in his new position, is to watch the living. He sees his friends, how they’ve gone on. He sees them drift apart and how they grieve. He sees that Kady and Alice seem to be moving on, good for them. Eliot and Julia take longer. He worries a bit about Eliot, he remembers how he was after Mike died. Julia, he doesn’t know her as well, but he knows that Kady and she were good friends and she was Quentin’s best friend. Margo is focused on Fillory and getting her crown back. Good luck to her. His version of the 23rd timeline seems to be struggling, but Penny knows that he’ll pull through. When he tries to reach Fillory, he’s unable. Something is blocking whatever allows them to watch over the living. He tells that to his boss, who tries too. Penny speaks with Benedict, the Fillorian mapmaker, and asks whether Fillory has a way of concealing itself. Since Quentin is not close, Benedict is the other expert he has, on the magical land. Benedict tells him that only gods have that power. Penny remembers the spell the Lorian magician had a place on Whitespire, to make it look like it had been transported. He asks Benedict if doing that would be possible. Benedict says it could be possible if the spell was really powerful, as well as the person or people who cast it.

He requests a meeting with Hades, to tell him about it. The God hasn’t come out of his hiding place and isn’t accepting any meetings. Penny’s boss tells him to look onto the Fillory thing since he’s the most familiar with the place. Penny curses his luck and then has an idea. Julia knows about Fillory, as much as Quentin does (Come on, the guy is alive, or so it seems). Margo also seemed to know more than she let on and Eliot, even if he said he hated the place, had come to love it. He’s going to try and reunite his friends and have them look into the Fillory thing. That way, he kills two birds with one stone.

He’s given permission, to astral project to Earth, so he can visit his friends, but only if the whole group is there, well, apart from Quentin and Josh and Fen, who’re in Fillory.

Meanwhile, Margo and Eliot have finally gone to Fillory. As soon as they arrive, they see that something is very wrong. The colors seem muted somehow and the magic that could be felt, even when the pipes were shut down, is gone. The air is stale, heavy, like in a heavily polluted city. It doesn’t feel as whimsical as it should. They see Whitespire in the distance, and some additions have been made to the castle. On the way to the castle, they find a group of people, who look terrified, when they approach them. Margo asks them about Fen and Josh and one of the group tells them about the Dark King and that Fen and Josh were deposed and killed, 300 years ago. The others hush their companion and drag her before Margo and Eliot can ask more questions.

They decide to approach the tavern that belonged to Humbledrum, maybe look for some of the talking animals. Maybe they’ll be more forthcoming. The tavern ins in ruins and a villager tells them that the talking animals haven’t been seen in 300 years. On an announcement board, there are some tattered posters, that look like wanted posters. Margo and Eliot see that it’s posters of Quentin, Alice, and them, with a reward for whoever takes them to the Dark King, alive. Not wanting to find out what happens, if they’re caught, they yell for Penny 23, who travels them back to New York.

Margo and Eliot start planning. For Eliot, immersing himself in saving Fillory, is a way of trying not to think about Q so much. He needs something, a distraction, and his usual to-go things: drugs, boys, and alcohol, are out of the way. The drugs and the alcohol, because he’s promised Lipson and Margo, that he won’t destroy his body, it’s damaged enough as it is, and because the relief he’ll get will be temporary and he’ll only feel worse. And while Margo has subtly pushed him, into fucking some cute boys, he doesn’t want a meaningless fuck. Then, there’s the feeling that, just like the drugs and alcohol, the pleasure he’ll feel, will be temporary and the fall out will be worse, more even, since he feels like he’s betraying Q’s memory.

For Margo, saving Fillory is a question of pride and duty. She’s the fucking High King, for its sake! Plus, there are two very important people that need saving. As much as she hates admitting, Fen and Josh have managed to get past her defenses and have taken a huge spot in her heart. She misses Fen’s naïve views, her optimism, and an overall belief that almost everyone deserves a chance. Josh, she misses his sass, his tender way of seducing her, his calming presence. Who would have thought, Margo Hanson, Brakebills top bitch, and Ice Queen extraordinaire missing a pair of people, who are the complete opposite of her.

Back in New York, Margo and Eliot start planning. They must find a way of avoiding the time skips and how to reverse time, so Fillory returns back to normal, and so they can save Fen and Josh, and stop the Dark King. They’re going to need help, they won’t be able to do it on their own. The best option is to ask their friends for help. However, convincing them is going to be hard, especially Julia and Alice. Margo knows that and she plans on playing dirty if she needs to do so.

In one of the rare moments, when they all are at the condo, Margo calls them all to the living room. None of them look very happy, and they reluctantly sit on the sofas. Julia is so disinterested, that she doesn’t even put down the book she’s reading. Margo starts:

“Now that you’re all here, we need your help. Fillory is fucked up, really fucked up, and we need your help to unfuck it”

They stare at both Margo and Eliot like they’re crazy. Penny 23 says:

“Isn’t Fillory always fucked up? I mean, anytime we have a major problem, it seems to involve that place, somehow”

Kady nods in agreement. “Look, Margo, that place is always in need of being saved. And if it isn’t, bad things always come from that place. Isn’t it time, we left it alone?”

Margo isn’t finished “It’s not just Fillory that needs saving. We have friends there too, or have you forgotten about Josh and Fen? And this time, Fillory is really fucked up, real bad this time. Worst than with the Beast, or the Monster twins. 23, tell them, how different it was when you played Uber for us”

Penny 23 scowls at Margo but says “It’s true. The few moments I was there, I could feel that something was really wrong”

Margo says “See, even 23 has seen that something is wrong. We need to find a way to rescue Fen and Josh and kill or destroy the twat who has taken over my throne” She looks around their friends. “So, who’s with Eliot and me? Orloff? Wicker? Quinn? 23?”

Alice looks up “Sorry Margo, but I’m too busy with the Library right now. There’s so much we need to change, and I can’t leave the place, not when we’re still flushing Everett’s cronies”

“What about you, Orloff? Too busy being the Hedge queen, to help a friend?” Margo asks Kady.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes. And I’m helping Alice with the Library too. Don’t count with me”

“What about you, Wicker? Or, should I say, Our Lady of the Tree? Have you forgotten about that? And it’ll be a chance for you to really visit” Margo tells Julia.

Julia narrow her eyes. Penny 23 and Eliot see that she’s getting angry.

“No. I won’t involve myself with Fillory, not anymore” She takes the book she has been reading and tunes Margo out.

Margo has none of it. She’s determined and Eliot sees her expression change. When Margo wants something, she’s like a dog with a bone. She won’t let go and will do anything to get what she wants. She’s not above playing dirty. It’s one of the things that made Eliot love her when they met. But now, knowing her, he doesn’t know whether that approach is the best when trying to convince their friends. Margo isn’t done yet:

“Huh, nice. It’s good to know who your true friends are. It seems that Eliot and I will take care of the problem. Fuck you, you cocks” She quiets down. Eliot knows she’s going to say something that probably will make the others really angry. But before he can stop Margo, she says:

“You know, if he were here, he would have wanted to help. Fuck that, he’d go out of his way to help, especially if Fillory was involved. If he were here, he wouldn’t hesitate and he’d get our asses in gear, so we’d start researching, doing fucking something. He was a true friend”

Eliot’s mouth is open in shock. He’s seen the scene unfold before it happened and yet, he’s done nothing to stop Margo, knowing, better than anyone, that she’d somehow, bring him up.

Julia slams the book she’s been reading “Don’t you dare mention him, Margo. And don’t you dare say you’re his friend, not when you spent months hiding in Fillory, while he was dragged around by that Monster!”

Eliot stares at Margo. That’s something she’s never told him. He’d always assume, that she’d been here, with the rest of them, looking for ways of freeing him.

“You don’t know how it was, Wicker” It’s not like I had a say in it! That fuck Bacchus took me there!”

“It’s not like you couldn’t have come, Margo!” Julia shouts. “And Fen told me that you weren’t doing much, that you spent most of the time moping around and almost declared war on Loria because you couldn’t be a half-decent ruler!”

“I thought Eliot was death! I was grieving my best friend! It’s not like I wanted to” Margo shouts back. Damn that little tattletale! When she saves Fen, she’s going to wring her neck!

“Then, what about when we told you Eliot was still alive? You could have come at least once, but noo, you chose to stay in Fillory, safe!” Julia has tears in her eyes.

“Hey, I was ruling my country! And I gave up my crown, to get the axes that saved El and you, thank you very much!” Margo attacks back.

“Oh, yeah. Let’s not forget that Margo Hanson saved us all, with her mighty axes!” Julia replies. “Since you so kindly reminded us, any time you could. You sacrificed your crown, big deal! Q sacrificed his life, to save us all. Fuck you, Margo, and fuck Fillory. It can go to hell, for all I care” Julia sits and starts sobbing, and she covers her face with her hands. Margo remains quiet. Eliot knows she’s regrouping and approaches her, to try and calm her down. The others have been staring at Julia and Margo, going back and forth, as in a tennis match.

Kady and Alice approach Julia, to comfort her. Alice puts a hand on Julia’s shoulder. Julia shakes the hand and looks up.

“And you, Alice? Don’t you have anything to say? She’s using his memory to get us to do what she wants! Or have you forgotten? Are you so busy fucking Kady that you’ve forgotten him?”

Alice pales and takes a step back. She feels her face heat, the shame clear. Eliot turns to stare at her, with disdain and pity. She thinks that Kady and she were doing a good job in hiding their relationship. Kady feels torn, between defending Alice and comforting Julia.

Margo sniggers “Ohh, that’s rich! Alice, I didn’t know you had it in you!” Before she can say anything that might spark another fight, Eliot steps and says:

“Look, this isn’t taking us anywhere. Can we all, at least sit and discuss, like civilized people?” The others nod. Then Eliot blows it, by saying “he wouldn’t want for us to fight”

Julia then zeroes on him “Oh, and Eliot Waugh is an expert, of knowing what Q wants, right?”

Now, it’s Margo’s and the other’s turn to stare at Julia and Eliot. Obviously, there’s a story there, but none of them say anything, they stare at each other, for a few moments. Then, Eliot says: “Julia, one thing I know for sure, is that he’d do everything in his power to help his friends,” he says.

“Yeah, we all know how that went! He was so hellbent in saving you, that he allowed a monster to drag him around for months! You didn’t see how it affected him, how much it hurt him!” Julia shouts, her eyes shining with tears.

Alice approaches Julia again, even if she risks getting hurt “Julia, we know …”

Julia interrupts her “You don’t get to talk, Alice. You destroyed the keys and betrayed us to the Library!”

Alice steps back, ashamed. One of the things she regrets the most is betraying her friends and it seems like she’s never going to live it down. She could reply, by saying that Quentin killed Ember and made the Gods turn of magic, but she knows that they’ll start throwing their past offenses and they won’t finish.

However, Kady decides to defend her, which sparks a screaming match between Kady and Julia. Penny 23 intervenes, defending Julia, and Margo starts accusing Penny 23 of being a whipped boy, making Penny 23 argue with Margo. Alice and Eliot try to calm them down, but it soon turns into a six-way argument, where they all accuse each other, of their past betrayals, faults, and for Quentin’s death. It seems that this is the moment that will mean the end of their friendship since they are as far from each other as they can be.

They realize several things: that at that moment, they’re not friends, just people joined by extreme circumstances. They wonder: if it weren’t for those, would they have become friends? All of them? They realize that the thing that had connected them in the first place and had held them together was Quentin. Some of them would have never spoken to each other if it hadn’t been for Quentin.

They’re flushed, hoarse after all the screaming and silent, no one knowing what to say. Penny has been observing the whole deal for a while. He decides it’s time for him to intervene. He appears in the middle of the living room and says:

“Wow, thank goodness he can’t see or hear you, he’d be so disappointed, if he saw you fighting like that”

The others startle when they see Penny, their Penny, dressed in his Librarian suit, smirking, and looking calmer than ever. Penny nods at Penny 23 “Hey man”

“Penny? What are you doing here?” Kady asks as she approaches Penny. He takes a step back.

“Sorry, Kades. I’m astral projecting and I can’t touch you or anything” he smiles sadly at her.

She steps back and smiles back “It’s good to see you anyway. You look good”

“You too,” Penny says.

“Ok, lovebirds. You can chat all the fuck you want after. Why are you here, Penny?” Margo says.

“And what did you mean about him, being disappointed?” Alice asks too.

Penny looks at them. “Well, I’m here to tell you a couple of things.” He says while pointing at Julia “First, what you’re doing, it’s not going to work, so you can stop”

Julia responds “How do you know it’s not going to work? I have the ingredients, I have figured out all the circumstances, I have consulted many books, necromancers too. The spell I have is foolproof. Why do you say it’s not going to work?”

Alice asks Julia “What spell are you talking about?” The others are curious too.

Julia and Penny stare at each other, not paying attention to their friends.

“Tell me, Penny, why isn’t it going to work?” She asks Penny again.

“You can’t use a spell to bring back someone from the dead when said person is not dead, to begin with” Penny answers.

Julia can’t believe what he’s just said. “Say that again!”

“I said that the spell isn’t going to work” Penny replies.

“No, what you said, about bringing a person back from the dead” Julia demands.

Penny distractedly says “Oh, that. You can’t bring a person back from the dead, if he’s not dead, to begin with”

“What do you mean?” Alice asks.

Penny sighs “Geez, I thought you were smart. Do I have to spell it for you?” Kady smiles, at the old Penny, which sometimes shines through. “Julia has a spell to bring someone back from the dead. But the spell isn’t going to work, because the person she wants to bring back, is no longer dead”

“You mean Quentin is alive?” Julia asks, not daring to hope. Eliot too.

“That’s exactly what I mean. Coldwater is alive and well, I suppose” Penny says.

“You suppose? What the hell does that mean? And no Underworldly mumbo-jumbo, Adiyodi. Is Quentin alive or not?” Margo asks, losing her patience.

“Well, Quentin Coldwater is no longer registered in our archives as deceased, or as living. Something or someone brought him back to life and whisked him somewhere, out of the Library’s reach” Penny 40 says.

They all stare at Penny 40, shocked. Then Margo speaks again:

“So you’re telling us, that Quentin is most likely alive, but some freaky force snatched him away and you haven’t got the slightest idea about who or what it was”

“In a nutshell, yes” Penny 40 admits. “Even my superiors are a bit baffled and the only person who might shed some light is missing, or not answering our calls”

Julia sniggers, then get serious again “How can the all-powerful Library lose track of a person? He can’t have vanished into thin air. What about his book? Or the register, at the lobby of the Underworld?”

“All traces of Quentin Coldwater that were in the Library have disappeared” Penny 40 stares at Alice, as he says this. She smacks her forehead

“Oh my god! That explains it! When I took over the Library, one of the first things I did, was to take everything the Library had on us” Alice is talking so fast, they can barely understand her. “I took our books and other things, like samples they had of us”

Margo mouths to Eliot “Samples?” Out loud, she asks “What kind of samples? And they’d better not be the samples I’m thinking about!”

“No, no. Just some blood and hair. It was part of the deal Fogg made with them. It was a way of tracking us, in case we managed to break the memory spell and get our identities back” She finishes taking out books.

“You mean our identities,” Julia says. “You’re the only one who wasn’t given a new identity” She reproaches Alice.

Alice huffs. Some of them are never going to let that die. “I did what I had to do, and I was a prisoner of the Library too!” She’s tired of having to justify herself, or of reminding them, that she did suffer too. She sighs and continues:

“Our books from timeline 1 to 39 have been turned into one volume. Since we died in most of them, they weren’t that long, to remain in individual volumes. I have our books from this timeline. Josh’s and Fen’s are here too” She stops.

“You said you have all of our books, but what about Q’s?” Eliot asks.

Alice sighs. “I don’t know. They’ve vanished. I thought someone might have taken them to another area of the Library since you know …” She makes a gesture with her hand. “I even thought someone might have taken them to the Poison Room, but Zelda and I went there, and we didn’t find Q’s books. And I asked Sheila and Phyllis to search for Q’s books, but they didn’t find them. He’s even disappeared from the main registry”

They stare at Alice in shock. Penny is observing everything, smiling, like he’s having a great time. Kady, angry with Alice, is the first to break the silence:

“Alice, you can’t keep something as huge as this from us. Even if you did it with good intentions. As soon as you had the books, you should have told us. Even if you were just keeping them safe. This is the kind of thing that makes the Library so shady, the secrets, keeping samples of people’s blood …” The others nod in approval.

Alice, looking contrite says “I’ll give you your books, as soon as we’re finished with this”

Kady squeezes Alice’s hand, and Alice feels slightly better. Julia and Eliot look angrier, though.

“Were you even going to tell us that Q’s books have disappeared?” Eliot asks, looming over Alice, who shrinks back. Julia crosses her arms while staring at Alice too.

Alice turns around to look at them. “I was going to tell you, ok? I just needed some time, until things at the Library became calmer, after, well, you know” She looks repentant. She shakes her head. “What other things did you come to tell us, Penny?” She asks him, taking the attention of her.

Penny waves his hand “I thought you’d forgotten about me. So, Coldwater is alive, and no, 23 me, unlike the Quentin from your timeline, he’s not evil” He says, answering 23’s unasked question.

“How do you know that?” 23 asks.

“Because the force that took him, not only was incredibly powerful, it was incredibly benevolent, kind, and compassionate too,” Penny says. “It’s one of the few things Hades has been able to tell me. Coldwater is truly, completely alive, though somewhere out of our reach”

They are all relieved that Quentin hasn’t come back evil, especially Penny 23, for Julia’s sake.

“Good to know that Quentin is alive, but unless you have anything else to say, you can fuck off Penny,” Margo says.

“Ouch, that hurts,” Penny says, sarcastically. “Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you? You were supposed to remain united after he died. Instead, you’re fighting, keeping secrets, and being assholes to each other. I promised him you’d be ok. It’s one of the things that helped him go to the afterlife”

“Wait, you were with Quentin when he died?” Eliot asks, speaking for the first time, in a while.

“Well, He was my first assignment, in the secrets you take to your grave department. And as for how he was, well, as ok as one can be when they die. He was relieved but he also asked me if his death had been a selfless sacrifice or if he had finally managed to do what he couldn’t do before” As soon as Penny says that, Julia tears up again. As Quentin’s oldest friend, she'd known better than the rest about his problems and that he tried to kill himself. Eliot, being the second person closest to Quentin also realizes the same thing. “So, did he, did he really kill himself? Could he had survived?” Alice asks. “What do you think Alice? You were all with him before he died” Penny says.

All of them remain silent at what Penny’s words mean. They saw it, Quentin getting more depressed, but none did anything to help. Deep down, they all know that the main reason why they’ve drifted apart is that they feel guilty over Quentin’s death, each having his or her reasons.

“To try and convince him that his sacrifice was worthy, I took him to the memorial you held for him. Nice memorial, by the way. It was much nicer than what you did for me when I died”

“Wait, you were both there, at his memorial?” Eliot almost screams. “Could you have said something? Could he see us? Could he have said anything?” Eliot starts crying, thinking that he could have said goodbye to Quentin, at least tell him that he loved him, even if he was already dead.

Margo takes Eliot’s hand. As angry as he’s with her, he appreciates the comfort. “If you were there, how come I wasn’t able to see you, with the fairy eye?”

“Underworld cloaking spell. No matter how powerful the fairy eye is, the spell we have is stronger” Penny clarifies. “After he saw you, united, singing “Take on me” and after I told him that your stories were just beginning, he was ready to cross over. I took him to the archway and that was it. What happened after, I don’t know. He was supposed to get to his resting place”

They are all thinking about the implications. Quentin was at his own funeral, he saw them. And he is alive and has been alive, for some time apparently. Yet, he hasn’t contacted any of them, not even Julia, or Alice. Then, why would he want to? They’ve been shitty friends to him, especially at the end.

Eliot thinks that his actions after the Mosaic started Q’s spiral. He even told him to be life partners with someone else! And considering that rejecting him that day, is the thing that he regrets the most … As much as it hurts him, he understands why Quentin doesn’t want to see any of them, even if he’s alive.

Julia thinks of all the times she’s been dismissive of Quentin, either because she got tired of him, because of his crush on her or maybe, because she’s always thought she was slightly better than him, and she was entitled to things he wasn’t, like being accepted into Brakebills. She also thinks that her becoming a Goddess must have seemed that she was abandoning him, forever. And when they regained their memories, she downplayed his spiral, more preoccupied with her magic and 23.

Alice knows that Q asking her to give their relationship a try, was a cry for help. She knows that she’s never thanked him for bringing her back after she niffined out. And she knows that she has always sort of looked down on him, pinning on him, the problems they had when they were together. Looking back, she realizes that even before the threesome happened, she was already pulling away from him, instead of talking to him about their problems.

Margo isn’t going to join the pity party. She knows she was a coward, hiding in Fillory, while the others dealt with the Monster and the Library. She knows that she’s not the nicest person and she can be callous and downright mean when she wants to. She should have been nicer to Quentin. But they were so close to saving Eliot and he looked like he was going to cock out. She saw that he’d lost weight while she had been away, but she didn’t think it was important. She knows that she should have taken the time to talk to him, ask him how he was. He had been taking care of the Monster for months! A monster with Eliot’s face and voice! If it had been her, she would have let Eliot die, she would have killed the Monster, even if it meant Eliot dying. She’s never thanked Quentin for fighting to set her Eliot free, she just mocked him.

Kady and 23 are the ones least close to Quentin. However, they’ve come to respect him and even like him, in Kady’s case. She was quite amazed at how good Quentin was at Push, how confident he seemed when he played. Even if they’ve never been close, he’s always been ready to help, like when he helped heal Penny or broke her out of the mental hospital. They’ve even spent some time, talking about their experiences as in-patients, comparing the different facilities they’ve been to. And she’s always regretted not getting to know the guy better. Someone who’s a friend of Julia, who’s managed to get Penny’s panties in a twist, who manages to snag someone like Alice and get the attention of Eliot and Margo, someone like that is worth knowing.

23 distrusted Quentin at the beginning, mostly because how Quentin 23 ended up, though it wasn’t totally his fault. It seems that no matter what timeline they’re in, they’re destined to be rivals. Not enemies, but not friends either. However, he has come to respect the Quentin from the 40th timeline. Someone who’s willing to spend his life, as a jailor to a monster, for the sake of magic, that takes balls. And if it hadn’t been for his mending, they’d had been toast, at the Seam. Thanks to him, he was able to get Alice out and Everett was killed. So yeah, he should have made an effort to care more, even if it was by antagonizing Quentin. Now it’s too late, not only because the guy died, but because he’s out of their reach. Still, if he finds him again, he’ll try to be more civil to Quentin, and who knows, they might even become good friends.

Julia, eyes red and shiny asks Penny “Is that why he hasn’t contacted us? Have we screwed up so badly, that even now that he’s alive, he doesn’t want to see us?

“I’m sorry but I have no idea why he hasn’t contacted you. It could be for a million reasons, like him not being able to, or he’s in another dimension …. Now that he’s out of our reach, we have no way of tracking him, or knowing where he is” Penny says.

“Then why did you tell us he’s alive?” Alice asks.

“Because I thought it might take you out of your funks. I mean, you live together but you don’t hang out, you don’t talk to each other. And now, you were on the verge of a huge fight, that would have split you up” Penny answers. “It might help you be better friends to each other. After all, it’s all he wanted, for you to be happy, together”

The others remain silent. They have a lot to think about. Penny has dropped a bombshell and they have to consider all the implications. Quentin is alive! That’s one less issue that hangs over them, but that doesn’t mean they’ll go back to being friends, just like that. It’s a start, though. And Q might come back. When and how they don’t know. But they want him to know that his sacrifice was worth something.

Penny sees the resolution in his friends. They’re going to try to make amends. He gets ready to leave when he remembers: “Oh before I go. I guess you’ve been looking into what’s happening in Fillory?”

Margo says “We know about the Dark King. I was just trying to get these” she waves at the others “to help El and I, unfuck Fillory”

Penny nods “Good, good. Still, be careful. Whomever that is, they’re able to even block the Underworld”

“Do you think it has something to do, with the force that snatched Quentin?” Alice asks, fearing the answer.

“No. The signatures feel different. Whoever is in Fillory, is evil and very dangerous. So whatever you do, be very careful” Penny warns.

“Yeah, it’s not our first rodeo with an evil twat, Penny. We know how to take care of ourselves” Margo says.

“I know, I was there, for some of the” Penny replies “Still, be careful and don’t do anything rash. I don’t want to have to welcome any of you, anytime soon”

“Don’t worry, we have no intention of kicking the bucket” Margo says.

“Good to know. If I see any of you, before it’s your time, I’ll be seriously pissed. I mean it”

“Even in you’re dead you’re still grouchy, Penn” Eliot says.

Penny gives him the finger. “I’ll see you, jackasses” He approaches Kady and whispers in her ear “It’s been great seeing you again, and knowing that you’re changing the world. I’m proud of you. I love you and I want you to be happy” Penny looks at Alice, then back at Kady “You have my blessing”

Kady, all teared up, smiles, and says “I love you too, Penny. And thank you”

He hoovers his hand over her face as if he were caressing her. Kady leans in. They part and Penny gives one last look to his friends.

“Take care of each other and don’t be jerks. And when you see Quentin, say hello to him”

“We will, Penny, thank you,” Alice says.

With a whoosh, Penny leaves.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang works out their problems and they look for a spell to bring back Q

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone!  
> Now that school has started, I'll be posting things less frequently, but I'll try to keep it semi-regular! There's me hoping! 😅 Apart from work, I'm currently studying to get a permanent teaching position and the exam will be in December, so I'm devoting myself to studying again. Wish me luck!   
> Since I decided to start the Kady/Alice relationship, earlier than I did, with the previous version, I've changed the conversation she and Eliot have about Q. She's less petty on this one ;)   
> On another note, reading many of the fics that have been published during the s5 run and the finale, something that bugs me, that appears in those fics, is how no one addresses the fact that they use time magic to save a bunch of people, but never Q. I think Eliot gave up too soon on using the stamp and sending the letter. I think they could have worked a bit harder, to try and bring him back.   
> Anyway, a little rant. As always, thanks for all the kudos and comments!   
> I hope that everyone is staying safe!   
> All my love! 💙💜💪🏼💪🏼

The silence in the condo is deafening when Penny leaves. Secrets have been revealed, new relationships have been outed and most importantly, Quentin is alive and the danger coming from Fillory threatens the world again. Two questions arise. If Quentin is alive and has been for some time, why hasn’t he contacted any of them? And what do they do with Fillory?

Margo is the first to break the silence “So what now?”

Alice asks “What do you mean, Margo?”

“Do we pretend nothing has happened and we go on, or do we address the elephants in the room? And considering we were almost coming to blows, there are several”

Julia starts pacing “As much as I hate admitting it, Margo is right. We can’t go on like this, pretending to be friends, when we’re really not. We came together because of extreme circumstances and the person who connected us is gone. I don’t know if we were ever friends at all” She says, sadly. 

“Speak for yourself, Wicker. El and I are fine” Margo looks at Eliot for reassurance, but he scowls at her. He raises an eyebrow: “Really, Margo? Are we ok?”

Uh, oh. Eliot only calls her Margo, when he’s really angry with her. Fuck!

Kady, pragmatic as always, says: “If we really want to be the friends we’re supposed to be, not people that are thrown together because an Englishwoman decided it, we hash it all out, leave it in the open. No more secrets, no more hidden agendas. We come clean” She’s staring at Alice when she’s saying this. 

“And how is it going to work? Alice asks “After we leave everything in the open, we start with a clean slate? Or are we going to keep throwing each other’s secrets, when we get angry at each other?”

“No, after we come clean, we start over. Tabula rasa. No one is allowed to hold anything that is said today, over anyone’s head” Penny suggests. “Unless anyone has a better idea”

“I agree with New Penny” Eliot says. “We move forward and maybe we’ll become the friends Q believes us to be” He grabs Julia’s hand and squeezes it. 

Margo scowls at the others and huffs in annoyance “And you think that everyone is going to ovary up and face the firing squad? Bullshit!”

Julia turns to look at Margo, annoyed too “We won’t know, unless we try. And we agree that when a person speaks, we keep an open mind and listen, instead of going for the kill, straight away”

The others nod, but they fall silent again. None of them want to allow themselves to be vulnerable in front of the others. They know their weaknesses and where to press when needed. In that, they’re experts. They look at each other, sizing each other, daring to see who cracks first. 

Penny, seeing that no one wants to go first, suggests “What if we did something like the Trials? We bind ourselves and until we say what we need to say, the ropes don’t come off. And like with the trials, we do it in pairs. Then, if there’s something that concerns us all, we say it in front of the others”

Kady agrees “That’s actually a good idea. But maybe, about the things that concern us all, we do that first” She stares at Alice, clearly thinking about the books and samples Alice has been hiding. 

“Before we do that, we should agree on the pairs. Do we do it like with the Trials; with a person we trust or with a person we’re not as close?” Julia asks. She has heard about the Trials, but since she never got to do them, she doesn’t really know how they work. She hopes that had she been admitted to Brakebills, Q would have been her secrets partner. 

“That’s a stupid question. The Trials work better when you do it with a person you trust because you reveal something that the other person might not know yet” Margo says. For her, it’s a way of making amends with Eliot, about the whole staying in Fillory thing, and leaving Quentin to fend off the Monster. Julia goes over the room and the others agree. So, the pairs are Margo and Eliot, Julia and Penny, and Kady and Alice. They prepare the ingredients they need for the spell and Eliot conjures a few of his ties, to bind their wrists. Luckily, this time, the Trials aren’t followed by a trip to Antarctica, and they leave the part of the spell, that turns them into geese. 

Before they go to different rooms, for a bit of privacy, Alice believes she needs to come clean about the books and samples. She clears her throat “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, that I had the books and those samples. I should have given them to you and destroyed the samples, as soon as I got them. But when I found Q’s books weren’t there, I wanted to find them. I knew” She turns to look at Julia and Eliot “that one of you would ask me about his books, you’d probably ask me to give them to you. I was afraid that you’d accuse me of hiding them or something” She sighs “At first, I decided not to tell you anything until I found out what had happened with Q’s books. Then, when work started piling up, I put it aside. Not the looking for Q’s books, but that I had ours. And then, we were barely speaking to each other. I didn’t know how to broach the subject” She sighs. “And maybe, even if you’ve forgiven me for the whole thing with the Keys, deep down, some of you don’t really trust me”

Kady hums “Look Alice, is not that we don’t trust you, at least in my case” Margo sniggers, which makes Kady throw her an angry look. “But you must remember that some of the main issues of the Library, are their secretiveness and wanting to control everything. And I know that you’re working to change that, to make the Library a place where knowledge is accessible to everyone. But when you hide something as huge as our books, it makes me wonder whether you really want to change the Library, or you’re just doing to appease us”

Alice is taken aback, by Kady’s words “No! It’s nothing like that! I really want to change the Library for good, I know that no one should have that much power over the others. I didn’t realize it then, I was too hung up on the idea that being able to use magic freely was bad, and that it should be controlled. I’m never going to love that down, am I?” Alice asks. She’s always going to have that little thorn stuck to her. 

Julia, sensing that what Alice has said, might spark another argument, tries to assure Alice “Look Alice, maybe not telling us about the books and the samples, was not the best idea. It’s something that concerns us, especially them having our blood samples. It shows the lengths they went to, to have us controlled. It makes you wonder what else they’ve been hiding. This is not on you, it’s on the Library, and I’m really glad, that you’re working to change that. It’s going to take some time, though” Julia pauses. She doesn’t want to mention Alice’s and Kady’s relationship, that’s something to deal with later. 

“And look, at some point or other, almost everyone in this room has betrayed the others. Usually for misguided reasons” Julia still thinks of the Scarlatti’s web spell she and Marina cast on Q, or when she used him as bait, to capture Reynard. She shoots Margo a look, daring to comment on that. 

Margo averts Julia’s eyes. She can’t even quip about that, since her deal with the Fairies, the one that cost El and Fen their daughter. Kady nods in agreement with Julia. In a way, she was the first, forced to steal things for Marina, so she can’t hold it over Alice, either. Eliot too. His was more a product of him being high as a kite, but still. Then, his biggest betrayal wasn’t to any of the people in the room, but to the person whom he’s hurt the most. 

Alice, all teared up, nods and smiles shakily. She’s not entirely sure, but she’ll take it, for the moment. They split into pairs and go to different rooms, to do the ritual and to have some privacy. They do the ritual, naked, just like they’d do it at Brakebills. The upside, it’s not cold outside and most of them have seen their partners naked, at some point. 

Kady and Alice have the easiest Trial. For Kady, her truths are about not feeling adequate enough, to be the advocate of the Hedges, to be their leader, and the relationship she’s starting with Alice, the implications, now that they know Q is alive. She also mentions that she has trouble staying sober, that it’s easy wanting to let go, and she gets why Quentin did what he did, at the Seam. Alice’s truths are about her relationship with Q and Kady, how she knows that she’d made a mistake, getting back with Q, and the guilt she feels, because, while she’s sad that he died, she doesn’t feel as devastated as she should be. She admits that she understands why Julia and Eliot seem to hate her for that. Her other truth is about her fears about being Head Librarian. She still has her misgivings, she’s afraid that she’ll become authoritarian and turn the Library to what it was, or worse. Kady tells her that having those fears are a sign that she’ll try not to fall into that again. She jokes that if Alice feels she’s going megalomaniac, she’ll punch the lights out of her. 

Julia’s truths are her guilt about not doing anything when she started noticing Q’s downward spiral. She’s known Q the longest (that’s what she thinks) and she knows the signs. She should have done something when Q let the Monster almost choke him, but she didn’t, too preoccupied in knowing what she was and how to get her magic back. There’s also Penny’s choice. She’s made her peace about that, though she tells Penny, never to do that for her. However, she wonders what would have happened, if she had become a goddess. She admits that she hates Alice sometimes because it was Alice’s betrayal, that made her lose her powers. Penny’s truths are that he regrets making Julia’s choice, but couldn’t bear the thought of losing her, that he sometimes still feels out of place, in a timeline that’s not his. But mostly, he regrets listening to Quentin at the Seam, and not carrying him out, as well as Alice. 

Margo’s truths are that she run away to Fillory because she couldn’t bear the thought of being with the Monster, who had Eliot’s face and voice. She regrets not coming back, when Q told them Eliot was alive, inside the Monster. She also regrets noticing Q’s state of mind and not doing anything, her priority being saving Eliot. She hates having called Q a coward when he dealt with the Monster the most. She tells Eliot, that when Julia managed to break through Fogg’s spell, except for Alice and Q, the others had found each other. But Q had already been in the Monster’s company for a few days when Julia broke the spell, and none of them took that into account. She admits that she wanted to hate Q, blame him for the whole Monster debacle when it was her and Eliot who decided to use the God-killing bullet. Finally, she admits that the reason why she seems not to care that Q died, is because she feels guilty, about not being there for him. She tells Eliot, that she acts cold and distant because she knows that if she stops to think about Q, she’ll break down, just like she told Fen when they thought Eliot was dead. Margo confesses that she misses Q a lot, that she never would have imagined she’d become friends with Q, not just because Eliot was infatuated with him. Discovering he was a fellow nerd was an added bonus. So, she tries to hide the guilt and sadness she feels, by focusing on Eliot and Fillory.

Eliot tells Margo about the Mosaic, the life he and Q lived, Arielle, Teddy. He tells her about what happened in the throne room and his rejection, when Q suggested they gave their relationship a try, and the whole go be life partners with someone else. He talks about being in his Happy place and how he found the door, to reveal he was alive. He admits that he came up with the idea of killing the Monster because he couldn’t bear the thought of Q, being forever in that castle. He tells her about how he felt when he woke up and they told him Q was dead. It was a million times worse than Mike, or Logan Kinnear. He tells her about thinking of ending it all, to join Q, of taking the easy road, and ending it all. At the same time, he thinks about his promise of wanting to be braver for Q, and if he ended up things, he’d be taking the coward’s way. Finally, he tells her that he rejected Q because he’s always felt he that he’s not good enough for Quentin, that if they get together, he’ll screw up somehow, and ending up hurting Q, worse than he already has. 

They’re both crying, at the end of their Trials. Margo asks Eliot to forgive her. He does, but he’s not the only one he owes an apology to. She berates him for being such an idiot, and not doing right by Q.   
After they’re all done with their Trials, they head back to the living room, where they discuss other points that might create conflict: Julia creating a spell to bring Q back, and not telling the others about it, or Margo only focusing on Fillory and wanting everyone to do as she says. They, as they decided, hash it all out, throw in all the accusations, the reproaches … They don’t hold back. It’s harsh and intense, but all that’s needed to be said is said. When they’re done, they’re crying, voices hoarse and throats raw. But they have a better understanding of each other, and they can truly be the companions Q thinks them to be, not just people united by extreme circumstances. It marks a shift in their dynamic, being more open about what they feel. They’ve all felt they let down Q if it got to a point that he couldn’t tell any of them that he was in a bad place. They never want a repeat of that, if Q ever comes back, or if any of them finds themselves, in a similar situation. 

They know it’s not going to be hugs and giggles from now on. They’re stubborn and have ways of approaching problems, that clash. Margo and Kady are more in favor of fighting and tackling problems head-on. Alice and Julia prefer to analyze all the options and see which one is best. Eliot prefers to run, hoping the problem might go away. And Penny is a mix of the others. So they decide to strategize and use their forte, to tackle the 2 main problems that they have. 

Kady and Margo, with Penny’s, Zelda’s, and the hedge’s help, they work on the situation in Fillory. They need information about what’s going on, how the Dark King arrived, and to know what exactly happened to Josh and Fen. Julia, since apart from Q and Margo, is the other person in the group, that knows most about Fillory, helps when she can. 

Penny tries traveling to Fillory, but he can’t, something is blocking him. They use the Fountain, in the Neitherlands. However, they discover that the fountain has been sealed too, and the Library doesn’t know how it happened. The only way in is the grandfather clock. They get there, only to find that time hasn’t shifted at all, it’s still 300 years in the future. The wanted posters are still around, though any Fillorian they manage to talk to, says they don’t remember about the Children of Earth. The only villager, brave enough to tell them something more, tells them that the magical creatures disappeared: the Questing Beasts, the talking animals, the dryads and naiads, the faeries … They also find out that no children with magic are being born, in fact, magicians have almost or totally disappeared in Fillory. The only ones who seem to use some sort of magic are the Dark King and his minions. 

Margo and Penny ask about the other kingdoms, the Lorians, or the Floaters. They’re told most of them were killed too. Zelda and Kady discover in a book, that when the Dark King invaded Fillory, an alliance had been formed, led by Fen, Josh, Prince Ess, Ru, and Fomar. The alliance had united citizens from all places, magical creatures, even the faeries. However, they were no match for the Dark King and his forces, and the army was wiped out and all its leaders executed. So, on that front, unless they find a way, to travel to Fillory, before the time skip, before the Dark King invades, they’re truly fucked. They don’t dare return, as Margo and Penny, barely make it out, after almost being captured by a patrol. 

Julia and Margo, being the two people from the group, who know the most about Fillory, pour themselves into reading any book they find on the place, with Alice’s help, who’s the fastest reader. They go over any edition of the Fillory and Further books they can find, including some rare editions that tell different stories. Zelda gives them any books they can find on Fillory. Maybe they’ve forgotten about some creature that can help them, someone who might have gone unnoticed. They even consult, very reluctantly, with Plover, who’s no help, at all. Not even the hedges can give them any help, including those who barter with magical artifacts and books. 

Alice and Julia and Eliot are trying to find the best way to find Q. The spell Julia created, to bring him back from the dead is not going to work. Then, there’s the added problem of Q not being on their radar. If the Library has lost track of Q, how are they going to find him? They look first at summoning spells, but most of them are used to summon spirits, so that’s a no go. They consult Zelda and the hedges. None of them find anything of use, not even in the Poison Room. A hedge tells them that they might have to consider that Q is maybe in another plane of existence, or another dimension, something that doesn’t appear in the Library’s charts. The hedge suggests that maybe Q is in a world that’s not accessible through the Fountains or the portals they have. He suggests creating a spell, something strong enough that can travel through all sorts of dimensions. 

Julia, Alice, and Eliot get to work. They find that any summoning spell needs a biological component that belongs to the person they want to summon. That’s easy enough to find since Alice has the samples she took from the Library. However, there’s something that they realize. The blood and hair they have, belong to a person whose body was destroyed. Q is alive, which means whoever brought him back to life, has given him a new body. But they don’t know how that body has been made. Did they use living clay? Or something similar? What if they haven’t? What if Q’s body has been rebuilt purely on magic? Can the blood and the hair work? How about the different dimension thing? Will Q be able to feel the summoning? 

To make the spell stronger, they decide to incorporate things that belong to Q. They still have Q’s stuff that has been stored in the condo and at Brakebills. They need something that has a special significance. Julia thinks of the Fillory books first but quickly rejects the idea, because Q had become disenchanted, especially after finding out about Plover. Alice rescued the mug she burnt at his memorial. It’s the piece that he used when he showed her his discipline. Eliot brings the hoodie Q wore the first two years they were at the Mosaic. Julia brings another item too, Q’s deck of cards, the one she was going to toss into the fire. She’s been keeping the, ever since she discovered with them, that she could do magic. Now, they just have to figure out the circumstances and how big, the spell will be. 

They destroy all the samples of blood and hair, except for Q’s, as they’ll need them for the summoning spell. Alice decides she doesn’t want to have the books in her possession, so she decides to give them to each one. She saves Eliot for the end. 

Eliot is alone in the loft. The others have gotten their books and he’s just waiting for Alice, to come knocking on his door. He’s profiting from having the loft to himself and he’s lounging on the terrace, with books scattered around him. He’s taking a break from reading and he thinks about Q. Whether they find Q or not, he’ll be able to fulfill his promise to him, of being braver. He thinks if Q is ok if he’s alone or has found friends. His mind sometimes likes to screw him over and makes him think about Q finding someone new, someone who loves Q without reservations, without fears and hesitation. He shakes his head. If he goes down that path, he’ll turn to drink and old habits and he really doesn’t want that. When he meets Q again, he wants to show Q, that he’s a man worthy of his love.   
Alice knocks on the terrace door. She’s fidgeting and carries some books with her. She remains silent for a moment, and they stare at each other. She lets down the books on a table. Eliot says 

“Hey Alice, I was about to have lunch. Have you eaten? I can make us something quick”

“Oh, hey Eliot. Yeah, I could eat. Do you need help? What are you going to do? She asks

“I was thinking of making some rockette, dried tomatoes, mozzarella, pesto, and grilled chicken breast sandwiches. Can you help me by cutting the cheese and basil, for the pesto sauce?” He asks her.

They work in silence, while they prepare the meal. They prepare sandwiches for the others and put them in the fridge. They eat in silence. Alice is uncomfortable around him. She always has been wary of him. And when you add their relationships with Q, into the equation …. Eliot has always felt that Alice blamed him and Quentin, more than she blamed Margo, for the threesome. She’s also been jealous of Q’s and Eliot’s relationship, even if nothing happened after they came back from the Mosaic. Eliot knows that Alice feels more threatened by him than any of the women that have shown an interest in Q. And he’s always been a bit jealous of her. She managed to get Q first and they were even back together before he died. Now, when he looks at her, knowing what’s going on between her and Kady, he can’t help but feel a bit of hatred, of how easily she has discarded Q and has moved on. 

They eat in silence and after they’re done, Eliot cleans, while Alice takes the books and brings them to the kitchen. She says: 

“I have your books and I’ve been waiting for a moment to give them to you” 

“I was wondering if you’d forgotten you had them or were planning of hoarding them forever” Eliot says. 

Alice scowls “Eliot” Her expression softens “Look, I know we don’t have the best relationship, and most of it comes from our relationships with Q. But I’m willing to let go of those issues. I just want to know where we stand and ask you a couple of questions about your books” 

Eliot gestures towards the sofa and they sit down. Alice hands him the books. There are three. One it’s from timelines 1 to 39. The other one is their current book. The last one, not as thick as the others, has a mosaic pattern on the cover. Eliot snatches it and takes it close to his chest. Alice is staring intently at him. 

“You know, you’re the only one in our group that has three books. And considering your reaction, I’m guessing that book has something to do with Q. And if Q’s books hadn’t disappeared, he’d have three books too, am I mistaken?” She says. 

Eliot raises his head, to look at her “No, you’re not mistaken” He narrows his eyes “have you read it? Or them?”

Alice looks shocked “What! No! I haven’t read them! The only time I read one of our books, was when I escaped from the Library and it was Q’s book. And it was only a part of it, around the time you managed to break through the Monster’s possession. I haven’t read yours or anyone else’s books”

“Good. I don’t know if I would be so noble. I probably would have read all your books” Eliot tells her. 

Alice remains silent for a moment. Then she speaks again “Can I ask what does the third book says? I remember something about Q mentioning a mosaic, during the Quest for the Keys” 

Eliot sighs. He really doesn’t want to tell Alice any of it “Did Q ever tell you anything about it?”

“No” She answers “He never told me anything. When I came back, we were too focused on dealing with the Monster, the Library, and some Gods. Then, when he and I got back together, we almost didn’t have time, to talk about anything, really” Alice sounds bitter. “But looking at how you’re holding the book, it probably has something to do with him. Am I right?”

Eliot sighs. “You’re right, but I’m not going to tell you. This is between Q and I. I’m sorry if I sound like a jerkass, but it’s something that concerns only the two of us”

Alice frowns “Does it have anything to do with what you told him, the day you broke through?”

Eliot narrows his eyes “What about it?”

“You said something about 50 years, proof of concept and mentioned peaches and plums. Q looked so hopeful when he realized it was you” She says bitterly. 

Fuck! Eliot thinks. As much as he likes how smart Alice is, he hates that she has such a good memory. He tries to deflect the issue. “Again, Alice, not wanting to sound a jerkass, but it’s not your concern”  
Alice nods, staring out of the window. She stands up and starts leaving the room. Before she leaves, she says “I’m not going to ask again. The books are yours. You can do with them anything you want, except for burning them. It would be a hassle to print new copies” She pauses then asks “Can I ask something?” Eliot waves at her, dismissing her. She decides to ask, though. “If it’s clear that you’re in love with Q and he’s in love with you, why aren’t you together?”

Eliot just stares at her, blankly. He opens his mouth, several times, but no words come out. Alice sees her chance and decides to say something that has been on her mind, for a long time. 

“You know, I’ve always been jealous of the bond you and Q have. And how easy it seemed for him, despite claiming to be as socially inept as I am, to make friends easily. Then, he and I got together, and it was great for a while, until that night” 

Yeah, Eliot thinks, no one needs to relive that night. Though he does, often, dreaming about Q. Alice continues speaking “I hated you for it, more than I hated Margo and Q. Then, Fillory happened and I started forgiving you, mostly after knowing you’d had to stay in Fillory forever. Then, well, I’m not going to talk about that. And after I came back from being a niffin, you and Q seemed to be closer than ever and I was so jealous, that even if he’d gone to the underworld for me, you were the first person he’d think about” Alice pauses. Eliot thinks that she’s mistaken, he doesn’t think Q thought about him that much. 

“Then, during the Quest for the Keys, something happened, something between you and him. After that, he became withdrawn, to the point that he decided to spend his life, as the jailer of a few monsters. And you, with your god-killing bullet, not wanting to let him sacrifice himself” Alice stops to take a breath. “And then, Q’s insistence that we found a way to save you, especially after you managed to breakthrough. It all pointed out to one thing. He loves you, you love him, and for some stupid reason I can’t understand, you’re not together. Why?”

Eliot, eyes shiny, just says “Does it matter? It’s you he went back together with. Not me. He chose you, Alice” He stops talking, not wanting to speak any longer. 

“You know, I was really happy when Q told me he wanted to try again. And he seemed to be equally as happy as I was” Alice looks at Eliot, straight in the eye. “But now that I look back, that I know what I know now, I realize he was grasping at straws and I was clinging to him, like a lifeline” 

Eliot’s heart skips a beat. Is she saying what she’s saying? “What do you mean?” 

“What I mean is you have my blessing. Not that you’d need it. But I think Q and I both know that we weren’t going to last. I mean, he and I, still need to have a conversation. But I’m with Kady. And we both deserve to be happy” Alice looks into the distance, then back at Eliot. “Q and I would never have worked. Maybe for a while, but I think we rushed into becoming a couple too fast. And I would always have felt threatened by his connection to you”

Eliot is shocked. He doesn’t know what to say “Alice, I … For what is worth, it was never my intention, to come between you and Q, never. Not even in your first year”

“I know that” Alice says. “Which made it more infuriating, because the two of you were drawn together like magnets. The only things that I ask are: that if you don’t feel the way Q surely feels about you, don’t lead him on. Break it off with him, completely. But, if as I think, you feel for him, what he feels for you, don’t be a fool and tell him. Do right by him. I’m sure Julia will give you at some point, a shovel talk, pretty much saying the same things. But if you hurt Q again, I’m going to hunt you down and hang you by the balls” She’s a bit flushes when she says that. 

Eliot chuckles “Look at you, channeling your inner Margo. Don’t worry Miss Quinn. I’ll do right by him” He gets doubtful. “If we get the chance, that is”

“Julia and I are close to finding the combination that will allow us to bypass whatever dimensional distance there is” Alice takes Eliot’s hand and squeezes it. “We’ll see him soon, don’t worry” She pulls away. Before she can leave, Eliot grabs her arm and pulls her into a hug. 

“Thank you, Alice. For everything” he says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still looking for a beta reader. If anyone is interested, please, let me know, in the comment section. All my love!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Q is recovering and training and his friends are dealing with their own things, what's going on in Fillory?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> Two chapters in two days! A shorter one, this time. The next one will be a bit longer and Q's reunion with his friends is not far!  
> As always, thanks for all the kudos and comments, they motivate me, to continue with the story, any story in fact.   
> Enjoy the chapter and stay safe!  
> All my love!

Fillory interlude. 

After Josh finishes casting the cooperative spell, to create the Incorporeal bonds, he and Fen wait anxiously, for news about their friends. Soon enough, the bunnies start arriving: 

“Julia and Eliot freed! Both at the hospital!”

Then, a second bunny “Q, Alice and Penny going to the seam!”

Then another “Monster banished, Everett dead!”

Then “Q dead!”

Both Josh and Fen are shocked about the last bunny message. They send a bunny, asking for more information. A couple of days later, they get another bunny “Q dead at Seam! Memorial tonight!”

Since they can’t join the others, they decide to hold a memorial for Q, there, in Fillory. Fen walks Josh, through the mourning ritual. Now that the talking animals are speaking again, they can have the sheep sing the lament songs and Abigail is the master of ceremonies. The memorial is solemn and done in true Fillorian fashion, which Q would have liked. 

The following day, they get another bunny “El and I back soon, bitches!”. Fen and Josh smile at that. Margo is still Margo, no matter what. They wait for Eliot and Margo to arrive. In the meantime, they go through the Whitespire library, to see if they can find a way to undo Margo’s banishment and reinstate her as High King. Maybe they can find a way for both Fen and Margo to be co-rulers. Fillory should really have at least, one true Fillorian on the throne. 

They also deal with the crisis in Loria. After some very complicated negotiations, they manage to get an agreement from King Idri and his sister, Ru. West Loria becomes an independent country, with Ru as the queen and they sign a pact of no aggression, which extends to Fillory. They sign a peace treaty and an economic agreement, so merchandise can be exchanged easily. 

Meanwhile, they wait for more bunnies or for Margo and Eliot to come back. But as the days go by, they start getting worried, since they haven’t heard anything. They try calling Penny. As a traveler, he can hear them, he should be able to travel and carry a message. But it’s radio silence. They send more bunnies, but they all come back, unable to send their messages. They consult with some Fillorian magicians, but they can’t tell them anything about what is blocking their communications. 

They try other ways: the tree that leads to the Grandfather clock or the Fountain to the Neitherlands. Something seems to be blocking the access on both. At first, Josh thinks that it might be because they’re low on ambient magic. But the Secret sea has refilled itself, with the magic that Everett took, coming back to its rightful place. So ambient magic is not the problem. 

Then, as they get more worried about not being able to reach their friends, things get a turn for the worse. At first, it’s just a few rumors. Something dark has appeared, and no one knows where it comes from. Then, the rumors become more. They come mostly from Loria and West Loria. Magic users have been disappearing. At first, it was random, maybe one person in a village, then none, in the villages around. Then, more people start disappearing, and the dark thing? Well, it seems it’s an army, big enough to conquer both countries. 

Fen and Josh send some of their advisors and magic users, to help the Lorians and West Lorians. If something bad is coming that way, it’s a matter of time before it reaches Fillory and they need to know as much as they can, about the danger it represents. The Lorians thank their help. Soon, the situation becomes worse. Both Lorian and West Lorian refugees are coming to Fillory, running away from an army that seems to be destroying everything, in its wake. Queen Ru and Prince Ess are the last refugees to arrive. King Idri has been killed while they tried to get their people to safety.   
Prince Ess tells them that the army is powerful, in manpower, arms, and magic. Josh and Fen feel that it’s most imperative than ever, that they contact their friends on Earth. They try everything again without any results. 

Josh and Fen send magicians to create wards, that will prevent the army from breaking through. They also decide to reach out to the other regions of Fillory, like the Floating Islands or the Faerie’s cove. They warn them about the army and tell then to strengthen their wards. 

Rafe and Abigail suggest that they ask the Questing Beasts. So, Fen sends scouts, looking for them. None of the scouts find any of the beasts. Well, that’s not exactly true. A faerie finds the body of the White Lady. It looks like she was tortured before she was finally killed. The other scouts find the remains of some of two of the Questing Beasts and the others are nowhere to be found. The newly formed Fillorian council, composed by Fen, Josh, Prince Ess, Queen Ru, Queen Agathe, Prince Fomar, and other leaders, think the worst. That the Beasts have been captured and are suffering the same torture, the White Lady went through. 

Not only the Questing Beasts disappear, but other magical beings also disappear too. Forests die when their dryads go away. The same happens with ponds and lakes, and the naiads, that lived in them. Even the forest that Julia brought back to life has died after its dryads disappeared. Then, it’s the talking animals. Some manage to come back, but they have been tortured so badly, that they die almost immediately. And they start getting reports from villages too. Magic users have been disappearing for a while and none of them return. 

It’s clear that the army is targeting magic users and creatures. The council leaders know that if magic users and creatures continue disappearing, magic will die in Fillory. They decide to take an offensive approach. They unite the different armies from the different regions and battle magic is taught, to magic users. People are recruited and they’re taught how to fight and defend themselves. Fillory is going to war. 

While they prepare for the upcoming war, Josh and Fen still try to contact their friends on Earth. They try reaching out to the Jane Chatwing that lives in the Clock Barrens. She might have some sort of device, that can turn back time, just like she did with the time loops. But the Clock Barrens are another casualty of the assault on magical places. They know, at that point, that it’s useless contacting their friends, but they would really love if their friends were there. Fen misses Margo, especially when some advisors suggest stupid things, mostly Tick Pickwick. She misses Margo’s no-nonsense attitude and how she’d have kicked the advisors in the butt while thinking of the best strategy. Fen misses Eliot’s way of comforting her and his calming way. She misses Julia and her badassery. Ember’s balls, she misses all their friends and she wishes they were here with her. At the same time, she’s kind of happy they’re not here, which means they’re not in danger, or at least, less than usual. 

The army prepares and they try to get as many people as they can, into safety, by sending them to the farthest reaches of Fillory. It would be better if they could send people on Earth, or at least the Fountains in the Neitherlands. They can’t use the Muntjac, because it hasn’t been seen, since they went to Blackspire. They also try to get people to set safe houses, places where people can hide, rest, eat, and get supplies before they continue their journey. However, those plans fail. The ships and other transports they send come back empty, and the people in it, are killed or taken prisoner. The centaurs examine the bodies and say that a great deal of violence has been inflicted on those people. It makes Josh shudder and Fen vomit. 

The only option left, is to face the army, head-on, go to war. The battles are short and bloody. They discover that for all the magical training and tools that they have, the invading army is much bigger, its leaders use magic they’ve never seen, and their soldiers seem immune to magic. Josh and Fen despair. How can they defeat that army, if they’re outnumbered and outpowered? Still, they won’t give up. If they should die on the battlefield, they’ll die fighting, defending their land, from those who want to remove it from them. 

In the last battle of the Alliance of Fillory against the Dark King, the Alliance of Fillory is defeated. Fen, Josh, Ru, Ess, Agathe, and Fomar, as well as many of Fen and Josh’s councilors, are taken as prisoners. The soldiers that aren’t killed, are taken as prisoners too. The soldiers that have some magical aptitude are taken to a different location. Through rumors that fly around, they learn that anyone that shows a magical aptitude is horribly tortured, then killed. Josh hopes they don’t find out he’s a magician. 

Their fates are finally decided. All the leaders of the Alliance of Fillory are to be executed. They are offered a rather strange and sadistic choice, by one of the Dark King’s lieutenants: accept a public execution, and pledge their loyalty to the Dark King, before they’re executed, or the whole population of Fillory will be wiped out. There’s no question about the choice. They agree to the public execution if that means people’s lives will be saved. Even Fomar, as snivelly and creepy as he is, agrees to the deal.

The executions start. First, are Agathe and Fomar. As much as Josh and Fen hated Fomar, the kid, because he’s pretty much still a kid, doesn’t deserve to die that way. Agathe, Fen has always liked her, her pragmatic view on life and she gave her a lot of good advice on marriages of convenience. Not that it’s useful now. Ru and Ess follow the same fate. Josh and Fen are locked up in the dungeons, any time there’s an execution. They only hear the cheers and they only hope that their allies haven’t suffered. 

Finally, it’s their turn to die. As a small mercy, they’re in the same cell, though they’re shackled on opposite sides of the cell. The Dark King is such a bastard, that he doesn’t even allow them to spend the night together, in each other’s arms. They still have a small sliver of hope, a Hail Mary that will save them, but the feeling diminishes, the nearer the execution time comes. Now, their main worries aren’t about dying, but about their friends. Since all ways of communication are closed, their friends on Earth, have no way of knowing what has happened to them. Maybe the war will appear in one of the Library’s book and their fate will be a footnote. On the upside, none of their friends are here to share their fate with them, and maybe, maybe someday, they’ll be able to defeat the Dark King.

Josh and Fen spend their last night talking to each other. Josh still hasn’t revealed that he’s a magician, he shudders at the thought of the Dark King knowing. They have been told that they’ll be beheaded, a small mercy since the death is quick if it’s done right. Fen also thinks about Fray, her unborn baby girl, and hopes she might see them again. Josh tells her funny stories, trying to make her laugh. She tells him Fillorian fairytales, she used to love them when she was a young girl. Suddenly, they hear a commotion, coming from one side of the dungeons. The guard of their cell goes to check what’s happening. They stand up and get as close to the bars as they can get. Fen, who has a better view, sees that at least one guard is lying on the floor, unconscious or dead. Her heart skips a beat. Have their friends found them and are coming to rescue them? That hope is short-lived when three hooded people stop at their cell. They’re dressed in black, they’re carrying weapons, and scarves and hoods covering their faces. 

Josh and Fen think that maybe the execution has been moved. That instead of a public execution, they’re going to be killed in secret. The people outside certainly look like assassins. Josh thinks that maybe he’s done some magic, he’s been discovered and they’re taking them, wherever they take the magic users. But whoever these people are, they won’t let themselves, be intimidated. They’ll face death with dignity. Fen stands, with her head held up high, like a true queen. Josh tries to look defiant. The masked people take off their hoods and ...

“Quentin? How in hell?” Josh asks when he sees who one of the masked people is.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Q goes on his first mission, to rescue two friends in danger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone!  
> New chapter! First, I want to thank my beta, Sassyourfrass, for her contributions in some scenes and her help! Thank you really! I'm already working on the next chapter and the reunion between Q and his friends is not far away! So, I hope you enjoy the chapter!  
> As always, thanks for all the kudos and comments!   
> Stay safe! All my love! 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

Q, Lys, and Kieran have been monitoring any magical activity that has been out of place for a few weeks now while training every day for Q’s first mission. They’d just returned from a run when they got a notification from Division and Lys takes the message in their control room.

Gathering both Quentin and Kieran as the other two team members are out on a mission, they huddle around the built-in console table as Lys draws up a chair. Pressing the “Receive” notification she pauses for a moment before speaking.

“We’ve got our first mission. It’s a rescue mission, so it will be quick and with as few casualties as we can. Also, we need to limit the use of our magic so we don’t display our position.”

Kieran and Q look at her with interest, waiting for her to give them more information.

“Our contacts in Fillory have told us that the Dark King has conquered the place. They’ve executed many of their leaders and the last two are waiting for execution,” she tells them, taking documents out of a folder.

Q feels a stab of fear and is dreading the worst, “Do they say who have been killed? Who do we have to rescue?” His voice trembles slightly when he asks that.

Lys grabs his hand in sympathy.

“Most of the leaders that have been killed are Fillorian. The ones we need to rescue are High King Fen and The Fresh Prince Josh Hoberman. I guess it’s a Prince of Bel-Air reference?” she asks in some amusement.

Quentin isn’t appeased yet.

“Are there any other names? Maybe Alice Quinn, or Eliot Waugh?”

Lys looks at Q with her eyebrows lowered in understanding. “No, none of the dead leaders are from Earth.”

Q breathes in relief. His friends are safe, at least. Well, not all of them but it’s something.

“Ok, so what do we know? And our contact, has he or she been able to leave Fillory? What happened? How did the Dark King get in through Fillory?” Quentin leans forward in interest as Lys scans through the rest of the communique. 

“According to our contact magical beings, both creatures and humans started disappearing gradually. Then, the Dark King started the invasion. The Fillorians tried to resist, but the army proved too powerful, even with their magicians. Our contact didn’t manage to get out. She sent her last message with the rest of her intel and that was it, only a couple of days ago. We think that she’s been captured.” Lys informs them and shudders at the thought.

Q blows out a breath of sadness when he learns that the contact in Fillory is likely dead. He knows violence, he’s been involved in many dangerous situations, but this was bigger than any of the enemies he and his friends had ever faced. This was war, there was no other way around it.

Kieran leans back in his seat and asks, “Do we know why the Dark King decided to invade Fillory?”

“Yeah. HQ and the Council think that since we started getting signs of their return, we’ve been on alert and so they knew they needed to choose a world that wasn’t watched. All the worlds and dimensions under our protection know what to look for if they appear. They think that the Dark King chose Fillory because it’s a gate to other worlds and starting the invasion through there would be much easier.” Lys says.

“Like getting in through the back door,” Quentin mutters under his breath but both Lys and Kieran catch it.

“Exactly. Since Fillory is not under our jurisdiction they thought the invasion might go undetected.” Lys responded.

“Ok. What’s the intel we have up till now?” Kieran inquired.

“Josh and Fen are in the dungeons of Castle Whitespire. They are going to be publicly executed in a couple of days. We need to plan the rescue and fast.” Lys informs them, leaning her elbows onto the control room console.

Q and Kieran both nod as Lys continues, “Q, before we go, you need to know what we’re up against.”

Quentin nods again as nervousness rolls through him a little. He hasn’t been given that much info on the Dark King; he only knows that they’re really bad, worse than any enemy he’s ever faced, even the “Monster”.

Kieran reaches over on his side of the table and draws up the files so they slide onto the screen mounted on the wall in front of the control room. Q can’t help but raise his eyebrows in excitement and awe as it reminds him of the police movies and tv shows he and Julia had watched over the years. It’s top-notch technology, almost like the holo-table in the Iron Man movies, and he settles in as what looks like portraits and not photographs appear on the screen. It really looks like they’re showing pictures of mobsters, Q thinks absently as Kieran begins to speak.

“As we said, we don’t know what the Dark King looks like. They’re usually covered in black smoke. What we do know is that they’re very powerful and they feed on magic, able to kill magical beings as powerful as gods,” Kieran starts explaining.

He outlines the 5 people below the Dark King. “These are The Dark King’s lieutenants. Each and every one of them is very powerful. Together, they’re almost unstoppable.”

Lys points at the first one, who’s wearing armor that even from a distance looks incredibly intimidating. 

“This is the Dark King’s second in command and the general of his army. He’s a very skilled warrior and strategist along with being a necromancer.”

Q sucks in his breath in shock. “So he can reanimate the dead. Pretty handy in a battle, with plenty of bodies.”

“The only good things are is that the reanimation only lasts for a limited time, and he can only reanimate 5 dead at the same time. And if he reanimates the five, they last even less. Usually he has an undead or reanimated one at his side, always. And like many of undead type like creatures, a blow to the head or beheading them kills them permanently. Another thing is that he can’t reanimate those dead he’s already reanimated.” Kieran explains somewhat grimly, which eases Q’s fears a bit.

Lys, noting Q’s nervousness, pats his hand.

“Q, we know it’s dangerous and you’ve been through more than enough danger in your life. We’d understand if you wanted to wait for another mission.”

Quentin’s grateful for her words but he shakes his head in the negative.

“No, I signed up for this. And it’s better to have as much information as we can. Most of the time my friends and I went in nearly blind into the many situations we faced. It’s just … This makes it more real; you know?”

Both nod and Lys looks down to continue with the briefing. She outlines another lieutenant who stands next to the General.

This time it’s a woman who is dressed not in armor but in what Quentin can only think of as elfin type clothing. She’s wearing a long greenish tunic that reaches her feet. The tunic has a v-neckline, but it’s not very deep. It doesn’t have sleeves and the tattoos on her arms can be seen. Q can’t make out much of a design, but they look like vines or tribal markings. The tunic is fastened at the waist by a leather belt, where she carries a pouch and a knife in a sheath. She’s wearing fingerless leather gloves that reach the middle of her forearm. She’s barefoot and similar markings can be seen on her feet.

She looks elfin too, but not like the faeries Q has met. There’s a darkness there, something that makes Q shudder. Maybe it’s because she’s one of the bad guys, Q thinks.

“She’s an expert in nature magic, potions, and poisons. We think she might be a druid, though we’re not really sure. She’s not very good in combat, preferring to use other methods. She usually works with him.” Lys outlines another man who stands next to the woman.

“He is very adept at healing and can heal almost any type of magical and non-magical injury or illness. We think that he maybe was some sort of priest or shaman, maybe the healer of his tribe or people. He now uses his abilities for evil. We call him the Joseph Mengele because just like Mengele did, he uses his knowledge in magical healing to experiment with their prisoners.”

Quentin shudders at that and clenches his fists tight. He’d read in history books some of the experiments Mengele carried out at the camps, and he was horrified that someone would use their knowledge in medicine to torture people so horribly. “Oh boy. That’s horrible.”

“Yeah. He likes to see how magic affects different beings. He injects the essence of beings like fairies or elves into non-magical beings to see if they change, or if they become magical creatures. Or he takes the essence of magic of a person and injects it into another to see what happens. Just like the master poisoner, he’s not a very skilled warrior and he needs to be protected.” Lys says grimly with horror dancing in her eyes. 

Kieran is quiet next to him but he can hear the armrests creak in protest as the man grips them.

Q feels horrified now but is determined that they can’t let people like that hurt others.

Kieran takes a moment to take a deep breath before pointing at the next lieutenant.

“She’s an expert on wards. She and the other female lieutenant are probably in charge of the defense system of their compound, setting booby traps, ward alerts …. She can manipulate most wards she comes across. She’s also a very good warrior and very proficient with bladed weapons. She’s a slow caster though, which is in our favor. It takes her a while to be able to manipulate the wards as she wants, so keeping her distracted allows you to maintain yours.”

“And that guy?” Q asks, pointing at the last lieutenant. He looks the youngest.

“He’s the Dark King’s weapon master. He can create weapons out of anything with any material and enchants them, so they can throw spells with the weapons. He can only enchant each weapon with one spell though, so it’s quite easy to find a counterspell. He’s not a bad warrior, but he prefers to stay behind the lines.” Lys explains, sitting back and sighing as they reach the end of the command structure for the Dark King.

“What about the army? How many soldiers do they have?” Q asks, leaning forward to scan over the information in the holo-table.

Lys shrugs her shoulders.

“No one knows. The last time the Organization went against the Dark King, they had an army of 100,000 soldiers but most of them were killed. We estimate it’s somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000. Most of the soldiers are loyal but there are many that have been forced to join.”

Even if it doesn’t seem much, it’s still a lot of soldiers Quentin thinks. “Any weaknesses or strengths?” he inquired.

“Well, the soldiers are spelled so they’re immune to magic as we mentioned before you joined us,” Kieran answers. Quentin leans back briefly in thought before the memory of that night surfaces.

Before he can say anything, Kieran explains, “What it means is that we can’t attack them directly with magic. I can’t use a paralyzing spell for example, but if there were some vines around, I could use those to tie them up or strangle them.” He briefly smirks.

“Then, there’s always the old-fashioned way of using weapons to kill them.” He looks at Q, who seems distracted. “Q, are you ok?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. I was just thinking.” Quentin says. “How did the Organization defeat the Dark King the first time?”

“With a tremendous loss.” A grim look passes over both Kieran and Ly’s face at the reminder as he continues.

”The Organization managed to corner the Dark King and their lieutenants, killing three of them and most of the army. The Dark King, the other lieutenants, and the remaining soldiers escaped through a portal to some unknown dimension.”

“Shit.” Q breathes. “Did any of you take part in the battle?”

“No, none of us took part. When Perce joined the Organization, it had been like 100 years since the battle,” Lys says. “But they didn’t go into complete hiding. After they were defeated, they’d make occasional raids, kidnapping people, taking them as prisoners for their experiments.” She pauses, “Kir, didn’t you, Perce and Tee take part in a raid in one of their hide-outs?”

“Yeah. It was years before you joined. There were rumors of a world where its magical creatures were disappearing. We went there and we found out that one of the lieutenants had established a base and they were using it for their experiments.” Kieran tells them. “We got the prisoners out and destroyed the place. But the bastard escaped,” he says bitterly. He shakes his head and continues, “Now we have a chance of capturing them or killing them for good. Let’s talk about the mission.”

“Q, you know what Fillory is like, you’ve been in the castle. Can you tell us more?” Lys asks.

Quentin hums. Where does he start? Then, he thinks about one of the biggest issues and starts talking, “Well, one of the main problems is that time doesn’t run the same in Fillory. There are time skips, so we need to find a way around that.” He comments.

“Don’t worry about that. We’re not affected by those. We’ve dealt with those types of time skips before. There are other worlds that have them too. Our scientists have managed to create a spell that makes us immune to any time skip. It’s been what, about 30 weeks since you came back to life? The same amount of time will have passed in Fillory.” Kieran says.

Wow, Quentin thinks for a moment.

It’s been six months since he died. Time has gone by so fast; he hasn’t had the time to really think about it. He puts aside the thought aside for now as it’s not the time to think about that.

He continues explaining things about Fillory.

“The air is 0.02 % opium, which is a little distracting. It’s quite whimsical, like a fairy tale land. But it has a dark side too, like the Gods that used to rule it who were total assholes.” Q pauses a moment as he thinks of Ember and Umber. “If you say the magical creatures have disappeared, that’s pretty bad as they’re like the essence of Fillory.”

“What about the people? And their magic?” Lys asks in curiosity. Kieran smirks at her from across the table and she makes a face at him. He always likes teasing her about her cat-like curiosity regarding other worlds.

“It’s a pre-industrial society, so farmers, artisans, carpenters … a medieval-like society without the feudal system. There are magicians, but not many, and their training is not as extensive as earth magicians. And if you say magical beings have disappeared, that means they have most probably been killed or taken prisoner.” Q wonders aloud.

Lys and Kieran both nod. “Yeah, that’s mostly what has happened. What we really need know is how to get into the castle and rescue your friends.” Kieran responds.

Q creates a 3-D plan of Whitespire, with as much detail as he can conjure. When he had to pose as a castle guard when the faeries were running amuck at the castle, he’d had the opportunity to walk around the castle and get to know the layout. In addition to his knowledge from the _Fillory and Further_ books, he knows without a doubt, the ins and outs of the castle.

Quentin points out where the sewers are, the secret passages and doors, and the gardens too.

“We need to find a way to get in the castle undetected,” Lys shakes her head, “even the most hidden of places would have been found by now and covered in traps.”

“The whole place will be rigged with traps, and it will be protected against any magic that’s not theirs,” Kieran comments.

“What kind of traps are we talking about?” Quentin asks.

“Different kinds. There are wards, spells, traps that are triggered by movement, by magic, by sound …,“ Kieran comments. “We know how most of them work and we can get around them, but the problem will be knowing where they are so we don’t trigger them. And we can’t go in with our guns blazing. We can’t alert the Dark King that we know they’re in Fillory. Otherwise, they’ll destroy the world and leave before we can do anything.”

Well, there goes that idea, Quentin thinks with some consternation. 

“What about posing as servants, or soldiers?” Q questions. It had worked for him in the past with the faeries.

“No, it will be too risky. The soldiers carry magical identification marks, which are almost impossible to forge.” Lys shakes her head. “And with the execution happening in such a short time every servant will be screened.”

“The execution will be public. Maybe we can pose as villagers that have gone to see the execution?” Kieran suggests, turning his head slightly to eye his lover.

“That would only give us access to the courtyard.” Lys counters back.

Q suddenly sits up in excitement and snaps his fingers. “I’ve got it! We can pose as merchants! We can get a cart full of foodstuffs for the celebration they’re holding after the executions. We could find a product that’s to be transported to the castle for the party. That way, we might have access to the kitchens and we can move in from there!” He suggests.

Kieran swings his chair around to fully face Quentin and the younger man flushes slightly at the impressed look his team leader sends him. Lys simply beams at him from across the table and winks when he turns to look over at her.

They spend the next few hours discussing how to get a product that is transported to the castle, as well as thinking about the clothes they need to wear. Luckily, Question still remembers what peasants and merchants dressed like in Fillory. 

A brief flash of peaches and boyish laughter flash float through his mind and he flinches slightly, pushing the precious memories back down deep into his mind. He can’t think about that, not right now. As much as he misses Teddy and Eliot, as much as he’d love to lose himself in those memories, he can’t let them affect him. Nor how much it hurt him when Eliot dismissed that life they had shared. He’s moved past that. He’ll cherish the love they shared, Teddy, Arielle, and he’ll never regret having lived that life. He goes back to paying attention to Lys and Kieran, who have shared worried looks but say nothing.

The disguises will need to be easy to take off but enough coverage to conceal the uniforms they’ll be wearing underneath. They finally get a plan together and it’s not soundproof, with too many variables they can’t control, but it’s as good as they can get it.

Without real access to the lay of the place, they can’t really know what exactly they’re going up against.

Q suddenly remembers and wants to smack his forehead in frustration; how are they going to get to Fillory? They can’t go through the means he knows the portal, the fountain, or the grandfather clock. So how are they going to go there?

“I have a question. How are we going to get there? Are we going to use portals?” he asks his friends.

“No,” Lys answers. “A portal gives off enough of a magical signature that it’s recognizable if you know what you’re looking for. Since we’re on a stealth mission, we’re going to use these.” And then she takes out a pair of scissors.

Quentin eyes her somewhat in amusement and confusion.

She simply smirks at him and explains, “We use them when we want to travel in and out undetected. The scissors allow us to open a tear in a dimension and travel from place to place. It’s basically like a mini-portal.”

“Won’t that be noticeable too? A portal is still a portal, no matter how small.” Q responds back to her, still eyeing the small instrument in her hand.

“Normally it would be but in places that have a lot of magic, tears like these appear often. They open and close themselves very quickly so it’s almost imperceptible. We’re counting on that to get into Fillory undetected. And we’re not going to arrive right in the castle.” Lys further explains as she places the scissors into a compartment on her utility belt that is still laid out on the table.

Q nods absently as he focuses his attention on his own uniform. 

It’ll be the first time he’s worn it outside of training. He softly traces a finger over the hard ridge of the right chest piece as it bisects down into the top right oblique area. Matte black covers the expanse as the separate pieces overlap each other, creating a barrier that would deflect most knives and projectiles. 

Gripping the chest armor, he pulls it up and begins to anchor it over the under-armor shirt using the thin leather straps that flow over his shoulders under the shoulder plates. As he begins to secure the straps that close the side angles he feels a tug as experienced hands checked the fit at the top.

Turing his head slightly brown eyes met blue as his team leader runs his eyes over the leg armor he’d already pulled on.

“What’s the mission?” Kieran questions lowly as Quentin finishes tightening the straps on the side.

Q blows out a breath as the anxiety he’s steadily been feeling finally wells up to the surface.

“Get in, get out, with hostages safely secured without blowing our cover.” He repeats grimly, focusing on his combat boots and casting a glamor on them to look like ordinary leather boots that had been worn down by time and use.

“What happens if things go FUBAR?”

Quentin can’t help but chortle and looks up into the amused face Kieran is giving as the anxiety slid away and is replaced by his training.

“Fall back to the secondary position and protect the civilian hostages at all costs.” He responds seriously, and then barely manages to dodge the pinch Lys tries to sneak up on him between the gap of the top obliques and his armpit.

“Don’t forget about the danger zones.” Lys gives him a warning look as Q groans.

“Man forgets one time.” He mumbles and doesn’t manage to doge to the next pinch in time.

“OW!” Quentin furiously rubs his armpit as Kieran laughs in the background. 

“You’re dead Q,” Kieran responds gleefully as Lys looks smug. “But seriously, don’t forget the weak points of the armor. One knife through the top and you’re gone,” he says, sobering up.

Nodding, Quentin then helps them gather the rest of their disguise. Conjuring the Fillorian clothes, they pull them on over the armor. Rolling his shoulders to settle the woven cotton shirt over his armor, he checks to make sure the sleeves cover the full extent of his bicep armor. Satisfied, he turns to face his friends as they fixed their clothing into place. 

As Lys takes out the scissors, Q uses a glamour spell to change his features, just in case there’s anyone who can recognize him. The tear opens and they step in and arrive in Fillory.

Tall trees surround them as they look around. It seems they’re in a forest. But it doesn’t look like the Fillory Q remembers. When he takes a deep breath the air feels stale and heavy. The light is gone, and everything is dark and gloomy. The trees look like they belong in a hellish landscape, not a whimsical land. And the magic that seemed to once dance in the air, is gone.

“Wow,” Q says, heartbroken by what he’s seeing. “It doesn’t look like Fillory at all. Is it always like this, with the Dark King?”

Kieran and Lys nod, both looking serious and grim. “Yes. The worlds the Dark King conquered suffered tremendously. It took them ages to recover. Remember, the Dark King is a devourer of magic. All the things that make Fillory the place it was, are gone.”

Q thinks darkly _, if this is what Fillory looks like, without magic, I can’t even begin to think how Earth will look if the Dark King manages to take over_. He shakes his head. “Come on, we need to find a village and merchandise to carry.”

They don’t need to walk very far as they soon find a small village that Q remembers isn’t very far from Whitespire. The village used to be quite busy since it was near the main roads that went there.

Now the place looks practically deserted. The few people they see walk fast, and without looking up or around. They soon come across a notice board and on it are several announcements.

“Q, look.” Lys whispers, while subtly pointing some of the announcements. Q runs his eyes over the board and tries not to stiffen at what he finds.

He sees his portrait, as well as Eliot’s, Margo’s, Alice’s and Julia’s. For a moment longing surges through him as his eyes fall on El’s and Jules’s portrait. For him, it feels like it’s been a lifetime since he’s seen them. Pushing it away he focuses on why they’re pinned up there.

They are wanted posters, of course, offering a reward for anyone who brings them alive or has any information on them. Next to them is the announcement for Josh’s and Fen’s execution.

It’s mandatory for all villagers within two days of travel to Whitespire to attend the execution. Those that don’t comply will be arrested. It also says the execution is at sundown the following day. It gives them a little more time but not much to get to the castle.

They visit some of the local producers, posing as travelers who are going to the execution and who’re looking to make some coin. The baker and the honey maker usually share a cart but the honey maker is having health problems, so she hires them to go with the baker. For just the one night she’ll allow them to stay before they pack up for the morning.

White-haired and bent backed, she waves them into her house. As the threestep into her house, she motions for Lys to close the door. 

Lys raises her eyebrows in response to Kieran, who gives a slight nod to close the door. Even if she was a magician, she would not stand a chance against three warlocks. And he has seen her eyeing them all day as they traveled around the marketplace looking for work to get into the castle.

For many years he has trusted his gut, and his teammates. Something was telling him he could trust here, and by the look on Ly’s face, she agrees. Q on the other hand is still eyeing the woman in a slightly distrustful way. Kieran suppresses the surge of amusement. 

Eventually, Quentin would learn to trust his own instincts. Until that time, his teammates can pick up that slack.

“I know who you are, Children of Earth.” She says abruptly. Kieran cocks his head in interest as Q’s eyes narrow.

“And how do you know that great Lady?” Kieran replies smoothly, knowing there is no point in denying it at the stubborn look on her face. He suppresses a snort of laughter as Lys once again pinches Q in the armpit as his mouth opens to protest.

“Bah!” She huffs at him. “No great Lady but I know warriors when I see them.” Old, watery grey eyes look directly into Kieran’s eyes as his eyebrows shoot up his forehead.

Sorrow crosses the old woman’s face then. “After the Dark King’s Purge there are no native warriors left, or if there are, they have disappeared so thoroughly they will likely never be seen again.”

Grief crosses everyone’s faces at that moment.

After a brief period, the old woman clears her throat and speaks. “I loved High King Eliot.” 

Q closes his eyes wistfully for a moment before snapping them back open.

“He was a good King, and his wife is even better. High King Fen deserves better than what is coming for her.” For a moment righteous fury lights her up and she eyes them almost angrily, “You are here for her correct?”

For a moment no one moves and then surprisingly it’s Quentin who crosses the room and kneels down before her. In the next moment, he droops his glamour briefly and she sucks in a breath as relief and happiness flow across her features.

“I knew it!” She whispers fiercely as her hands shoot out to grasp his. Quentin didn’t reign long before he went back to earth but every Fillorian knew what their royals looked like.

“Great lady, when we leave here in the morning so must you.” Q says softly as his glamor comes back up to protect him. 

She gives him a tremulous smile as her free hand that isn’t clutching his reaches up and cups his cheek. “No,” she rebuttals softly. “I was born in this village and I will pass here, like all those before me.”

Quentin bows his head and then nods. “Thank you then, for your shelter.” He says softly.

The old woman pats his chest in fondness. “It’s the least an old woman can do, for one who has sacrificed so much for Fillory.”

That night Q barely sleeps, nervous about his first mission and the emotions that wind through him as he canvasses their conversation with the old lady.

El, he thinks wistfully as laughter and the scent of spice and smoke move through his memory. As much as he misses him, he knows he’s not ready to see him. The damage Eliot had done that day in the throne room when he turned him down so harshly, and the events after, with the “Monster”, had done their turn. For the first time in a long time, Quentin is going to take this at his own pace. Aishlyn would be proud, he thinks in some astonishment, as sleep finally pulls him under. 

In the morning they give the old woman a small token, a glass sphere that contains a spell that will shield her. It’s the best they can do and hopefully, the Dark King will never find out her involvement.

Afterward, they meet up with the baker and set off for Whitespire.

They arrive by midday and as they walk through the gardens, they can all see the scaffolding that has been built up in front of them. All three of the warriors have to work to control their expressions as they pass it by.

At the front are guards and soldiers preparing everything, and people are already starting to fill the space in front of the stage.

As they continue with their route, they have to hold their breaths while they’re being checked, but their spells hold and they can pass in with the baker.

They help the baker unload the bread and honey and then offer themselves to run an errand for a young cook. She needs to get a few portions of meat and spices from the storages. Q remembers there’s a staircase that gets you to the lower levels of the castle, where the cellar and the food storages can be found. The dungeons are not far from where they need to go for the errand.

Subtly motioning to his two teammates, his friends follow him down and they get to the dungeons in no time.

When they get to the corridor that leads into the dungeons, they see that there are a few guards. They’ll have to dispose of them, without making any noise so that they don’t alert other guards.

Kieran flicks his eyes at Lys and she crouches low as she moves in first. Quietly creeping up behind the first guard she quickly snaps his neck, the CRUNCH of it causing the fellow guard to turn in her direction.

By then it’s too late as Q’s hands had already caught the guards jaw and twisted, a second sickly crack echoing off the stone walls.

They both catch and gently lower the guard’s bodies to the floor.

For a second Quentin closes his eyes tight and then takes a quick breath. He’ll have to process being someone’s killer later. He knows that once they’re done, he’ll have to deal with the fact that he’s killed people without hesitation. He’s been talking about this, with Aishlyn, Lys, and Kieran. They’ve assured him that they’ll be there for him if he finds it’s too much.

They quietly make their way to the cells where Josh and Fen are being held.

_Shit!_ There are two guards on either side of the jail doors.

They won’t be able to kill them so quietly as there’s no room on either side. They’ll have to come at this from the front. Both Quentin and Lys fix their eyes on their team leader.

Kieran flicks his eyes to Lys and motions slightly to the right. Then, with Q’s eyes on him, he motions to himself moving to the left and then points at Quentin, motioning to the jail doors. Nodding, all three team members move at once.

Blood sprays the floor as Lys and Kieran take on the guards quickly. Quentin grabs the falling left guard’s keys and quickly jimmy’s the door open. Both Josh and Fen shrink back into the wall and Q has a second to wonder why before he rolls his eyes at himself. Dropping the glamour both Fen and Josh’s jaws drop open in shock.

“Quentin? How in hell?!” Josh exclaims in a slight shriek. 

“Quentin? Is that really you?” Fen asks in disbelief.

“Hey, guys! It’s really me,” Q tells his friends while he pushes the cell door open, wincing as it whines in protest. He gets the door open all the way and moves forward to unlock Josh’s and Fen’s manacles. After he’s done, they stand inside the cell, staring at each other.

“Not that I want to sound suspicious or anything, but aren’t you supposed to be dead?” Josh asks while Fen nods in agreement. Lys and Kieran are giving Q a little privacy while being on the lookout for other guards.

“I was brought back to life,” Quentin tells his friends, scratching his neck as both of them raise their eyebrows in question.

“How?” Josh asks. “With a golem and living clay? Did the others bring you back?”

Q looks away and rubs at his nose as he wonders how much to explain in the short time they have.

“No, my body was remade. It’s a long story and a complicated process. And I haven’t seen the others since … well, you know.” He does _not_ want to tell them he saw his own funeral.

“Oh.” Josh exclaims lamely. “Well, in any case, I’m glad you’re alive, man!”

“Me too!” Fen exclaims and then she hugs Quentin tightly. For a moment, he clutches Fen to his chest in relief. both his friends are alive, for now.

Lys clears her throat. “I don’t want to be a moment killer, but we have to get out of here. I’m sure the guards will change soon, and we can’t be seen here. We’ll have time to explain things, once we’re back on earth.

“Sorry, Lys, you’re right.” Q says with a small smile. “Let’s get out of here.”

As soon as Josh and Fen step out of the cell, an alarm starts blaring.

“Fuck!” Kieran curses “I should have expected that! It was a bit too easy!” He looks at Lys and Q.

“Ok, get ready to fight our way out!”

Quentin sweeps both Josh and Fen behind him. “Let’s go! Get behind me when things get ugly! We’ll protect you.”

They swiftly make their way out of the dungeons.

Along the way, they encounter several soldiers and kill them swiftly. Josh and Fen are amazed at how Q and his companions fight. They work in tandem, never getting in each other’s way, and are efficient and ruthless.

Q has changed indeed, Josh thinks somewhat hysterically to himself as he and Fen throw themselves to the floor to avoid the knife that flies quickly over their heads from the oncoming guards.

Fen is more focused on the weapons Q and his friends are using. Not only are they fine pieces, Quentin and his friends obviously know how to use them very effectively. Fen watches in fascination as her friend unsheathes the short throwing knives from his left forearm and with a flick of the wrist buries them into the advancing guards’ throat. 

“ _Holy shit!_ ” Josh whispers harshly to Fen as they both scramble up.

Deciding that retreating through a different route would be better as surely the way they came is being overrun by soldiers. They get to the courtyard where more soldiers have appeared.

Well fuck, Q thinks in frustration, keeping the guards in his side view as he eyes his team leader. Catching both Lys and Quentin’s attention, Kieran nods in resignation, raising his hands and begins to cast. Since they’ve been discovered there’s no reason now why they can’t use magic to save their tails.

Using an explosive spell to blow out a part of the castle wall, the group quickly makes their way to the exit for them. Lys creates a tornado which she used to sweep soldiers up with it, Q drawing the water from a nearby fountain and freezes it, creating icy stakes that he throws at the advancing soldiers.

One of the Dark King lieutenants appears, and it’s the witch that specializes in nature magic. She uses the vines and trees to try and capture them, but Kieran throws fireballs that burn through some of the twisting vines. Then, between the three of them, they use the remaining vines to create a barrier that separates them from the Dark King’s soldiers. The witch is trying to unravel the barrier, but it will take her some time to breakthrough.

Turning to the exit, Lys, Q and Kieran hop over the stone debris and race to catch up to the fleeing Fenn and Josh.

They catch up just as Fen huffs to a stop. She still has the wooden toes, and she can’t run for a long period of time.

Quickly seeing the problem, Kieran gives a bright grin and bends his long frame down in front of her. “Care to catch a ride, my lady?”

Giving a breathless laugh, Fen nimbly hops onto his back and they take off again. They run for several miles until they reach the surrounding forest.

There, Lys gets the scissors out and opens a rift. They go through quickly and appear in the Sahara Desert.

Quentin spins quickly on a heel and opens another portal, urging Josh and Fen to go through first. They don’t have time to ask about the magic, or the portals, since as soon as they get to one place, Q or his friends are opening a new one and taking them to another place. They do this for several portal jumps until they finally come to a stop near the Niagara Falls.

When they get out of the portal, Josh and Fen are queasy and almost fall down. Q and Lys conjure a couple of bottles of water and granola bars and they give them to Josh and Fen.

“Here,” Q offers. “I’m sorry about the portal traveling. It takes some time getting used to it and we just dragged you around. It’s a safety measure so that they can’t intercept our portals.” he explains further.

After drinking some water and eating a bar, the two feel a lot better. They have a million questions they want to ask Q, but before they can, he says:

“We’ll leave you at Kady’s condo, is that ok with you guys?”

Josh and Fen nod. Q opens the portal, and they step in, appearing in the kitchen of the condo.

“Wow, it looks just as it did, when we left.” Josh comments as he looks around.

Fen, who has been dancing around the kitchen island, touching things here and there nods. Q chuckles. “How much time do you think has passed, since you returned to Fillory?”

Josh shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know, years maybe?”

Lys, Kieran, and Q burst out laughing. “What? What’s so funny?” Josh asks.

“Nothing, it’s just we have a spell that prevents us from suffering those kinds of time skips, and we used the same spell on you, so the same amount of time will have passed on earth and Fillory.” Lys explains.

Josh raises his eyebrows in awe. “Wow, just wow.” Then he gets serious. “Quentin, can we talk?”

Feeling apprehensive Q nods and goes to lean against the counter as Lys and Kieran slip out of the kitchen silently to give them privacy. Lys ghosts a hand over Quentin’s shoulder in support as she passes him, and he gives her a weak smile in response.

Fen rounds the corner of the island table and settles next to Josh as he leans back against it.

Josh opens his mouth but snaps it shut again as they all hear noises coming from the upper floor of the condo.

Taking no chances even though this is supposed to be a safe house, Kieran and Lys move to block the entrance to the kitchen, crouching slightly so they could move quickly if they needed to.

Lys takes a quick moment to look over her shoulder at Q who had moved to crouch behind both her and Kieran.

“Quentin,” is all she questions as she makes a hand motion over her face. Q freezes for a moment as he realizes that he’d never reapplied the glamour to his face.

It does not take Fen long to realize what Lys was asking.

“Don’t even _think_ about it Quentin Coldwater.” She hisses threateningly behind him. Glancing back behind him he’s met with two furious faces. Josh doesn’t say a word, but the glare is enough. Even if he does redo the glamour he’s pretty sure they both would have no problems spilling the beans quickly.

Fen frowns thoughtfully at the resigned expression that crosses his face before he turns his head back around at the sound of rapid thumping came down the stairs.

What in the name of Umber has happened in the last months that Quentin doesn’t want to see his friends? She wonders. Especially _Eliot_. She isn’t blind to the looks both threw at each other when neither thought the other was looking. 

**Kady**

She’s sleeping when she feels a disturbance in the wards that protect the condo. The disturbance hasn’t raised the alarms, so it must be either a low-level threat or one of the others who has forgotten how to deactivate the alarm.

She sits up in bed and glares at the wall before getting up, thinking that she’s going to kill whoever has forgotten how to lower the wards so they can get back in.

It’s the first day that she can have a lie in dammit, Kady thinks furiously as she pulls on her sweats. For the past week, she has been working her ass off, trying to prevent a war between two neighboring covens. It turns out that one of the covens accused the other of stealing one of their rare objects and demanded the item to be returned.

Of course, then the accused coven, after denying any kind of theft, accused the others in turn, of wanting one of their rare books as a compensation for the stolen item.

Kady and Pete spent hours in discussion with both leaders, asking neutral hedges to search both covens and mostly dealing with the whiny bastards who don’t know how to deal with any criticism. It turns out that the accused coven never even stole the rare item in the first place.

One of the newbies from the accusing coven used the item and then placed it where it shouldn’t have been. The accused coven then demanded compensation for the false accusations. After hours spent with both leaders of the covens trying to come to a peaceful resolution, Kady was just _done_. 

Dammit, she’s managed to prevent a hedge war and all she wants is to have a fucking lie in. As it is, she feels guilty that she’s been too busy, not having much time that could have been devoted to research, or helping Alice and Julia. Fuck, she hates being the leader of the hedges sometimes.

She stomps down the stairs with the full intention of ripping whoever has forgotten about the wards a new one.

Kady screeches to a stop at the bottom of the stairs as she stares at the two unknow figures blocking the way into the kitchen. _Shit!_ She thinks wildly as she raises her hands to throw battle magic when a very familiar voice pipes up further into the kitchen.

“Kady, wait it’s us!”

Kady slowly lowers her hands as she recognizes the two standing further back in the space.

“What the hell, _Fen_? Josh?! We thought you were dead!” Kady gasps as her hands fall slack to her sides.

It’s then she finally notices the third figure in _fucking body armor_ that’s slowly standing up from the crouch he’s been in, behind the two unfamiliar people.

“ _Coldwater?!_ ” Kady exclaims, crossing the space between in long strides and pulls Q into a hug tightly as the two in front part for her. “Oh my god! It is you!”

Quentin hugs Kady back, hesitant at first. He looks at his friends, slightly alarmed as his face clearly says, “Holy shit she’s hugging me!”

Lys just shakes her head in amusement as they separate.

Kady steps back and gets a really good look at Quentin. He’s changed. His hair is different, and he looks a lot better than he did, before he … well, no need repeating that. Scratch that, he looks _better_ than he’s ever been. Not only does he look healthier, but he also looks calmer, more centered.

She turns to look at Q’s friends. The guy is huge, as tall as Eliot is and wider. The woman is tiny, compared to him, a bit shorter than Julia but not by much. But both feel very powerful and give off a ‘Don’t fuck with us vibe.’

“By your reaction, I guess you already knew Q is alive.” Josh says, speaking up for the first time.

Kady nods. “Yeah. Our Penny came and told us. We tried contacting you, many times, but we couldn’t get through.”

Turning to look at Fen, she asks, “How come you’re alive? As far as we know, you two are dead and the Dark King has taken over the throne of Fillory.”

“Really? Dead? Us two?” Josh points at him and Fen. “You’re right about the Dark King, he’s taken over Fillory. As for our deaths, you can thank Q and his friends for saving us. We were about to be executed, when they came in”

Kady looks confused and eyes them both, “How much time has it been for you since we last saw each other?”

“Six earthly months, give or take.” Fen answers and Josh adds, “Yeah, about that much time. We went back to Fillory after Quentin and I returned from the God’s offices. Why?”

“Because according to Margo and Eliot, 300 years have passed since the Dark King got to Fillory, and you two were overthrown.” Kady explains.

Josh and Fen look confusedly at Kady, then turn to Q, Lys, and Kieran. “300 years? Holy monkeys! How come?” He asks Lys and Kieran.

“The Dark King can alter time. Probably after your escape, they executed someone as you two, and moved time forward to prevent us from finding them. There are just a few people that have the ability to alter time in such ways.” Lys explains. “Though if you wanted the detailed explanation it would be very complicated.”

Fen nods and sighs tiredly, “Yes, I don’t want complicated.”

She turns to look at Q. “Quentin, how are you alive? One of the last messages we got from you,” she gestures to Kady “was that you were dead and that they’d had a memorial.”

Q takes a deep breath and asks Kady, “How much did Penny tell you?”

“He told us about meeting you in the Underworld, taking you to the memorial, and then taking you to the archway. He also said that the force that took you is very powerful but very benevolent. I think he told us to ease our worries about you coming back as evil you. Again.” Kady adds.

“Oh, yes! No one wants an evil Quentin 2.0!” Josh is one of the few who met Quentin 23 and shudders at the dark memories.

Q frowns. It’s been one of his contention points with Penny 23 that Quentin 23 had killed Julia 23. “Good to know he told you about that.” He grumbles.

“He did tell us other things, but I don’t think this is the time to discuss them.” Kady muses. “The others aren’t here, and it would be silly to have to explain everything twice.”

Quentin wilts slightly in relief at knowing the others are out. He wants to see them, especially El and Jules, but he’s just not ready. 

Kady’s eyebrows raise slightly as she clocks the expression on Q’s face before he smooths it out. What the fuck is going on with that? Her eyes flick to Fen and both women share a look that promises a later conversation.

She doesn’t want to bring up, what Q’s sacrifice really was anyway. “So where have you been? After you got whisked away?”

“I woke up in a hospital room, with these two.” He points at Kieran and Lys, who’d taken the time to walk around the living room, examining things and pretending not to listen. “They told me about where I was and how I was brought back to life.” Q doesn’t want to give many details, not yet, at least.

“How come you didn’t contact us as soon as you woke up?” Kady presses on. “Did they forbid you?” She signals at Lys and Kieran with her head.

Q laughs. “What, them? No, they told me that I could contact you anytime I wanted. It was my decision not to contact you guys.” He explains.

Kady frowns and wants to ask why but she’s not that close enough to Q to ask him that. I’ll leave that to the others once they return, she promises to herself.

There’s an uncomfortable silence and then Josh speaks up, “What about the whole ninja outfit and the magic? Man, you and your friends really kicked some ass!”

Kady stares at Q, with wide eyes. “What is he talking about?”

“Quentin and his friends rescued us from the dungeons, before we were going to be executed!” Fen exclaims. “And they fought like those people that wear funny clothes, from the movies Josh and Quentin like so much!”

“You should have seen them!” Josh adds excitedly. “They killed so many soldiers and went toe to toe with the Dark King’s minions! And the magic!” He mimes swooning as Q rolls his eyes in amusement. “The only times I’ve seen magic being used like that is with the Gods or master magicians. Fuck that, not even master magicians!”

Kady turns to look at Quentin, an eyebrow raised in. “Explain.” She demands.

Q sighs. “Look, its’ a long story that has to do with me getting a body back. The cliff-notes version is that I’m no longer a magician, I’m a warlock and our magic works differently. But I’m not a god.”

Kady stares at him a bit suspiciously still. “And the superhero outfit?”

Lys is the one who answers, “We belong to an organization that protects different worlds and dimensions. This is our gear when we go on dangerous missions.”

Kady warily eyes all three of them now, “Like the Library?”

Kieran, Lys, and Quentin all chuckle, puzzling Kady. When they stop, Kieran says, “Oh, no. We’re nothing like the Library. We welcome every magic-user, and non-magic users as well. And we’d never think of hoarding magic.”

Kady hums thoughtfully, “Can I see?” She asks Q.

Q looks at Lys and Kieran, who nod. He says, “Ok. What do you want to see?”

“Oh, oh! I know!” Josh calls out. “I’m feeling a little antsy and cooking is my way to relax. Why don’t you conjure ingredients for me to cook?”

Kady shrugs her shoulders. “We actually need to go grocery shopping, so …”

Q flicks his right wrist and a bluish cloud of smoke crawls across the kitchen island before suddenly being full of groceries. Josh’s mouth drops open in shock before he starts gleefully going through the different bags. “Man, these are some top-notch ingredients!”

Kady is shocked but she hides it well. She wonders what more they can do and wants to grill Q to tell her more about the spell he’s learned.

Q is starting to get uncomfortable the longer they’re here. The longer they’re at the condo ups the chances of his friends walking through the door. “By the way, where are the others?” he asks Kady.

“Out, doing errands. Julia is at Brakebills with Margo and Eliot. Alice and Penny are at the Library. They should be back soon,” Kady answers, mentally tagging Quentin’s body language in her mind to exam later.

Q swings his head to look over to Lys and Kieran. He doesn’t want to stay any longer. He feels his skin start to ripple and Lys sees his cheekbones lengthen briefly before resettling. She shoots him a sympathetic look as his eyes close, hiding the way his pupils slit vertically. They needed to leave before Quentin finally gives in to the stress of the day and shifts.

“Hey Q, why don’t you give them the info we have on the Dark King while Kir and I reinforce the wards?” She questions Kady. “The rooms are upstairs, I suppose?”

Kady nods in slight suspicion before asking, “What for?”

“We’re going to reinforce your wards, code them to your DNA. We need some hair of the people living here to do that. On that note.” Lys walks up to Kady, Josh, and Fen and yanks a few hairs from them.

“Ow!” Fen complains “A little warning would have been nice.”

Lys offers a smile in apology as she and Kieran go to search for more hairs.

“Ok, so the Dark King.” Fen says “What can you tell us about him?”

Q tells them everything he knows, about the Dark King’s lieutenants, their powers, the immunity of the soldiers to magic, and how to bypass that. He also tells them that they have to warn as many people as they can: Hedges, Brakebills, The Library, other magical schools on earth.

The Dark King and their army are confined to Fillory, but it’s only a matter of time until they’re able to cross. He also warns them that the Dark King is attracted to surges of magic, so cooperative spells are out of the question going forward.

Lys and Kieran come back from the rooms and between the three of them, they weave the hairs into the wards, making the wards flare with a blue light.

“The wards are now coded to recognize your DNA. When any of you or your friends go through the wards, you’ll flare with a blue light. That means it’s you. If someone flares with a red light, it’s an imposter, which means the house has been compromised and you should leave as soon as possible.” She looks at Q. “We can wait until your friends are at home. We can portal later.” Lys offers, even knowing he won’t take it.

Q shakes his head. “No, I’m going home with you.”

“Ok, Q. Can you open the portal?” Lys asks.

Q opens the portal, which is like no portal Josh or Kady have ever seen. Lys and Kieran step in and Q goes towards it. Before he leaves, he takes out a couple of crystal pendants from his pocket and gives them to Kady and Josh.

“These crystals will allow you to communicate with us. We have the other halves. The pendants work like a worry stone, hold them in your hand and you will be able to talk to us. If you feel that you are in danger, hold them tightly and the ones we have will turn red. We will come to the rescue.” He explains. He’s about to step in the portal when Kady reaches out to touch his shoulder.

“Q, what do we tell the others?”

“Tell them not to do anything stupid.” Quentin smirks tiredly, making Kady snort, and Josh and Fen laugh. 

Kady moves her hand down to his and gives it a squeeze. “They really miss you, you know.” She says quietly, and Quentin has to close his eyes and squeeze back the tears that threaten.

“Make sure you’re not a stranger or I won’t be responsible for what Eliot and Julia will do to find you.” Opening his eyes, Quentin nods at the serious look in her eyes.

“Tell them that I love you all and miss you. And that we’ll see each other soon.” Totally done with the day, he quickly hugs them and then steps into the portal, which disappears as soon as Q is inside.

“ _Fuck._ ” Kady whispers to herself when it’s just the three of them now in the kitchen. Fen raises an eyebrow in question as Josh starts digging through the bags Quentin had left.

“We’re the ones who are going to have to explain to El and Jules that they missed their boy being here.” She says grimly and Fen blows out her breath and mutters a Fillorian obscenity as both women settle down to watch Josh as they wait for their friends to come home.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fen and Josh are reunited with the gang, Quentin's friends cast a spell, and Q comes to the rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!!!  
> Work has started to, well, not pile up, but increase. High school teacher, teaching my country's equivalent of years 11th and 12th. Since they end up in May, their school year moves a lot faster and it's exam period right now, which means correcting exams and papers. And there's the whole deal with the quarantined students. Thank god for Classroom, meet, and other google apps!  
> Anyway, hope you like the new chapter. Many thanks to my beta, Sassyourfrass, for her contributions and spelling and grammar checks. As always, thank you for all the comments and kudos!   
> Enjoy the chapter and I hope that everyone is staying safe!  
> All my love! 💙💙💙💜💜💜

After Q and his friends leave, Josh starts cooking as Kady and Fen put away the rest of the groceries. Then, they sit, side by side, on the stools that surround the kitchen island, watching Josh cook. Kady and Fen are shooting looks at each other, none of them saying anything about what just has happened. Josh is humming softly while he cooks, seemingly distracted. The bowl he’s using to make cookie batter lurches, spilling some of its contents on the counter.

“Fuck!” Josh exclaims as he uses his magic to put the ingredients back in the bowl. As he continues to stir, he asks Kady “So, how are we going to explain that he was just here, but he didn’t stay?”

Both women look pensive, having been thinking about the same thing. Why didn’t Quentin wait for the others to come? Shouldn’t he have been happy to see them all? He hasn’t seen them since, well, he went away.

Kady nibbles on her bottom lip, as she thinks about how Quentin behaved. While he wasn’t as squirrely as he used to be, he became shiftier, the longer they stayed in the apartment. It’s especially telling how nervous he became when he asked about the others. And Kady is used to reading body language and facial cues. While some might think of her as detached and distant like she doesn’t care about anyone or anything, she’s always inwardly studying the person or people in front of her, whether or not, they’re friends, allies, acquaintances, or enemies. It’s something she became good at, with all the times she and her mom had to move, from coven to coven. Being able to read people like that has helped her deal with all sorts of people, including bitches like Marina. With the more discomfort Quentin started showing, the more worried his friends became. There was also no way, she imagined the not entirely human features that shifted over Q’s face, even if they were barely there. Combined with Q’s friends’ sudden rush, once his bones started shifting under his face, something was clearly up.

So there’s that. Plus, there’s the whole deal about Quentin not being a magician any longer. Warlocks? She’s never heard of them, other than in books or video games. And there’s a whole group of them at least? She’ll have to ask Alice if the Library has anything on people like Quentin and his friends. The only reassuring thing that has come out of this, is Penny’s confirmation that Quentin hasn’t come back wrong. It’s a minor relief, all things considered, but still, it will ease Julia’s, Eliot’s, and Alice’s worries. Still, how is she going to explain that she let him go?

Fen’s thoughts are running alongside Kady’s. She’s surprised that Quentin hasn’t stayed, to wait for Eliot and Julia to get back. And while she might not seem like it, becoming Fillorian royalty, has given her a crash course on how to read people. She knows that to others, she seems naïve and too trusting, and, compared to her earthly friends, inexperienced and innocent, dumb even, sometimes. But she has learned to use that to her advantage, and it has helped her deal with the other Fillorian royals, advisors like Tick, or the faeries. Granted, she’s never going to be as mean as Margo, or as diplomatic as Eliot, or as conciliating as Josh, but she can hold herself in negotiations, able to broker deals, as well as her friends.

She has noticed too, Quentin’s reluctance, his nervousness, at the mention of the others, and him not wanting to wait for the others to arrive. She can’t imagine why. She hasn’t seen Margo, Eliot or Julia in six months, and she’s dying to see them, anxiously waiting for them to come back. And considering how much Quentin worked, to get Eliot and Julia back, she finds surprising that Quentin hasn’t stayed. Looking back to the few days she spent on Earth, she tries to remember whether Quentin had a fight with any of their friends. She didn’t pay that much attention, obviously worried about Josh being a fish, but she remembers the others being nervous, afraid, as they got closer to freeing Eliot. And worried, that it would be too late. But she can’t remember a fight or an argument. She looks at Kady.

“Kady, did Quentin have a fight or an argument with any of you, before he died?” She asks. “I know I wasn’t here for long, but the few times I was, I didn’t notice anything strange. Well, stranger”

The brunette hums in thought “No that I know of. I mean, 23 and Quentin have never gotten along, but I think it has more to do with them natural frenemies, rather than because of a fight. But I don’t remember any of us having a fight with Quentin. He and Alice even got back, during those last days! I mean, we weren’t at our best. Tempers were short, we were nervous, worried … Mostly because we were so close to freeing Eliot. But we were still on the Library’s most wanted list, and the Macallistairs were a problem. Let’s not forget the babysitting of a Baby Monster-God, who got increasingly bored, with any entertainment we provided” Kady stops. “Well, I’m not the best person to tell you. While I helped Alice, or Julia with some things, I started taking a more active role in helping the Hedges. They were the ones who were with Quentin, for most of the time. And the Monster” She shivers. Quentin and Julia took the brunt of taking care of the Monster, and Julia hasn’t said anything yet, but she’s sure it mustn’t have been easy.

Fen taps her chin with her fingers “Soo, maybe it was something the Monster did?” She can’t think of any other possibility. Maybe the Monster did something so horrible to Q and since it was possessing Eliot, seeing him, only brings bad memories to Quentin.

“Fen, it was a Baby Monster-God. It did horrible things and it forced Quentin and Julia to help them, for many of those. But Quentin was devoted to finding a way to freeing Eliot from his possession, especially when he found out Eliot was still alive. Julia told me, that when the Monster started taking drugs and threatened to kill Eliot’s body, Quentin threatened it back. He vowed to the Monster, that he’d destroy him if he hurt Eliot’s body” Kady tells Fen

They fall silent again. Josh is still puttering around, humming softly and completely distracted now that he has several dishes in preparation.

Fen, furrows her eyebrows “So how are we going to tell the others that Quentin was here, but that he left, as soon as he could? Should we even tell them?”

Kady cocks her head “Honestly?” Fen nods earnestly. “We tell them. We can’t keep that a secret, not that I’d want to. And Quentin didn’t say not to tell the others. He gave us a message” Pretty generic and not the one, either Julia or Eliot would want to hear, but still, it’s something.

Josh, who has just put a tray of muffins in the oven, asks “Do we tell them about the pendants Q has given us? He said they will allow us to get in touch with him, so do we give one of them to Julia, or Alice or Eliot?”

Both women stare at each other, in silence. Kady thinks about what she told Alice, with the whole thing about the books and the samples. She’d be a hypocrite if she started hiding things now, especially after lecturing Alice on that. And it’s not like Quentin has told them to keep them secret. He hasn’t been very forthcoming either, so that ambiguity plays in their favor.

“We tell them about the pendants too. We say they are for emergencies and that one of us should carry one when we go out on errands. Just in case we get attacked” Kady says finally

“Or someone does something stupid” Fen adds.

Kady chuckles “Yeah, that works too. Knowing our friends, it’s most likely for that to happen”

“What do you mean?” Josh asks.

“Julia, Alice, and Eliot have been working on a summoning spell, for Quentin. Do you want to bet, that as soon as they know that Q is back on Earth, they’ll want to cast the spell, as soon as possible?” Kady asks

Josh shakes his head “No, I don’t need to. Do you think they’d cast the spell, even after we tell them about Q’s warning?”

Kady raises an eyebrow “Don’t you?”

Josh shakes his head again and sighs “Yeah, stupid question”

Fen, who has gone to check something at the door, comes back to the kitchen. “Well, we better think what and how we’re going to tell them because I’ve heard noises”

Kady and Josh become alert, as Fen sits down again. Sure enough, the jingles of keys can be heard, and the door opens and closes. Three whooshes are heard. Those must be the wards Q’s friends installed. They seem to be working, Kady thinks.

“Did we just shine, like we were fucking blue Tinkerbells?” Kady hears Margo, from the kitchen.

“Calm down Bambi. Maybe Kady has upgraded the wards” A sniff and then “Something smells good here” Eliot’s voice carries out.

“Kady? It’s us!” Julia says as they’re approaching the condo’s main area. Before they get to the kitchen, both Margo and Julia are almost tackled to the ground, by an enthusiastic Fen, who hugs them both tightly. Eliot, who has been putting his coat in the closet, barely manages to break their fall.

Julia and Margo untangle themselves from Fen’s embrace, who moves on to hug Eliot

“Eliot! I’ve missed you too!” Fen says as she’s hugging Eliot tight. Eliot just stares down at Fen, then back at Julia and Margo, who carry equally puzzled looks, at the supposedly dead woman hugging him. They get to the kitchen, where Kady is sitting and Josh is moving around, taking trays out of the oven, throwing some spices to the stew he’s cooking. He pauses in cutting the veggies for the salad he’s preparing, to kiss Margo, who’s speechless for the first time, in a long while. After Josh is done greeting Margo, he moves to greet Julia and Eliot, with less enthusiasm, of course.

Eliot, Julia, and Margo stare at Kady, who seems amused by the shocked looks they have.

“What the fuck is going on?” Margo asks. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but last time any of us heard about you, you’d lost your heads to that cock, The Dark King”

“And Fillory has skipped 300 years forward” Julia adds, eyeing Josh and Fen suspiciously.

“We got rescued!” Fen exclaims. Margo and Eliot share a look, and Julia is shaking her head, still in shock.

“And who was or were the good Samaritans that rescued you?” Eliot asks.

Josh is about to explain when Kady says “I think we should wait for Alice and 23 to get back. They’ll want to hear this too” Fen nods in agreement.

The group sits in uneasy silence, as Julia, Margo and Eliot keep throwing glances at Josh and Fen. Kady is drinking a bottle of water, wishing it were a beer or a whisky, considering the bomb they’re about to throw. They don’t have to wait long for Alice and Penny to get back. They hear some tinkles and then a curse “Fuck!”. Then, the door slams open, and Alice and Penny enter the condo, a blue halo flaring around their bodies as they go. Penny storms in the direction of the kitchen, anger in every line of his body, as he moves.

“Ok, I want to know who thought it might be nice to change the wards, and not tell the others! Which of you assholes, added anti-traveling blocks? And what’s with that fucking flare?”

Kady thinks that the wards Q’s friends added must be working and gets an idea. “Penny, try traveling now”

Penny just stares at her, scowling “Why?”

Kady pleads “Just try it, ok? In and out of the building. I want to test something. I have an idea of what might be going on with the wards”

Penny rolls his eyes, still annoyed as fuck. But he travels. This time, he has no problems traveling inside the condo, though he flares again, with the same blue light.

“Ok, that’s it. What’s with the boreal lights? Are we going to shine like freaking fireflies, anytime we enter the condo?” Margo asks.

“They’re coded to our DNA. We flare with blue light, anytime we cross the wards. If an imposter gets in, they’d flare with a red light, which would mean the place isn’t safe anymore” Josh says, absentmindedly, concentrated on icing the last cupcakes.

The others stare at him. “Someone should better start explaining what the hell is going on. How are Josh and Fen alive and here, and who the fuck changed our wards?” Julia asks, losing the last of her patience.

Josh and Fen share a nervous look and look at Kady, who nods “Tell them”

“Tell us what? Josh, Fen? And it’d better not be bullshit” Margo asks, her too, losing patience.

“Bambi, just let them talk. Then we can decide if it’s bullshit or not” Eliot puts a hand on Margo’s shoulder and squeezes it.

Josh and Fen share another look. “I don’t know where to start” Josh says.

“How about you tell us, how you’ve gone from being dead 300 years ago to being alive and here?” Alice speaks for the first time since she’s arrived.

“Ok. Long story short, the Dark King invaded Fillory, we formed an alliance with the Lorians, the Floaters, and others, and we were defeated. Badly. The soldiers were killed or taken prisoner and the leaders got executed. We were going to be the last executed, but we were saved and brought here” Josh tells the others, stopping to take the loaf of bread he’s been baking, from the oven. He’s clearly stalling. Fen huffs and takes the plunge.

“Quentin rescued us. He and his new friends” And just like that, Fen drops the bomb.

For a second, there is a stunned silence, and then, the others begin speaking at the same time, asking a million questions. Kady whistles, making the others go silent. “Why don’t we let Fen tell us what happened, then you can ask all the questions you want” Julia and Eliot eye Kady suspiciously. She seems way too calm about the whole thing; she knows more than she’s letting on. But they’ll wait until Fen is done.

“We were in the dungeons, at Whitespire, waiting for our execution. There were two guards outside. We heard some commotion and then, three people, wearing black appeared, killing the guards. We thought they were assassins, who’d come to kill us. But when one of them got close enough and took off his hoodie, we could see that it was Quentin!” Fen explains.

“What happened next?” Julia asks, in a trembling voice.

Josh leans against the counter and continues “As soon as we stepped out of the cell, an alarm was triggered. Quentin and his friends killed any soldiers we encountered on our way out. When we got to the courtyard, one of Q’s friend blew a hole in the wall, the other created a tornado, to swipe the soldiers away and Q lifted the water from one of the fountains and turned it into icy spikes that he threw at the soldiers”

Then it’s Fen who continues with the story “One of the Dark King lieutenants came out and tried to capture us, but between the three of them, they used the vines to trap the witch and the rest of the soldiers. Then we got out and ran for several miles until it was safe to open a portal”

Josh finishes the story “One of Q’s friends opened a portal and made us go through it. Then, they opened several portals, and we went through them, appearing in different places until we were brought here. And that’s pretty much it”

By this time, the incredulous expressions have dropped off of everyone’s faces as they stare at the earnest Fen and Josh. Kady just popped the top off the beer she has liberated from the bar next to the kitchen and waits.

Margo and Penny, both burst out laughing, while Julia, Alice, and Eliot have incredulous looks on their faces. And Eliot scowls at Penny, as the darker man falls off his stool clutching his stomach.

“Quentin?” Margo asks, still laughing “The guy who gets tangled with his own sleeves, he was fighting like a pro?”

Josh and Fen nod enthusiastically “You should have seen them! It was like the people that wear funny costumes in the movies that Josh and Quentin like so much!” Fen says.

“Fen, sweetie, are you sure you’re talking about the same Quentin?” Eliot asks, still not being able to wrap his head around the idea of a truly badass Q.

Fen stamps her foot, irritated “It was him! Kady, can you tell them, please?”

The others turn to stare at Kady, who takes a sip of her beer. Julia crosses her arms “Kady?”

“Well, I can’t say anything about the fighting, but the clothes they were wearing, did look like outfits from superhero movies. They wore full-body armors, but very light and supple. And they were armed to the gills” She says. When she sees the angry looks, Julia and Eliot, throw at her, she raises her hands “Hey, it’s nothing like that. I was here when they brought Fen and Josh”

“You’ve talked to him” Alice says. Kady nods. “So, where is he now? He’s not here, is he?” Alice asks, looking around, as she expects Quentin to pop out of thin air.

Kady shakes her head “No, as soon as they could, they left”

Josh adds “They upgraded the wards and Quentin gave us info on the Dark King, but that’s pretty much it”

Eliot frowns, as hurt lashes his heart. Why wouldn’t Q wait for them to come home?

“What, and you couldn’t convince them to stay? Way to go, Hoberman! You could have used some of your goodies to get them to stay, or at least Quentin” Margo says, crossing her arms over her chest, as she glares at the man.

Josh just rolls his eyes. Fen says “Actually, Quentin’s friends asked him if he wanted to stay. He said no”

Julia blinks “Did he say why?”

Fen shrugs, then looks at Josh and Kady for confirmation “No, but the longer he was here, the more nervous he got. So he left with his friends”

Oh, come on! Orlof-Diaz is a battle mage and Hoberman, you can hold yourself in a fight! Couldn’t you have done something to keep him here?” Margo says “Did you really just let him go? Fucking cocks!”

Josh turns to look at Margo. He’s frowning slightly and he looks almost angry. “I don’t think we could have, even if we’d wanted to” Josh says totally serious. Everyone knows that when Josh Hoberman doesn’t joke around, shit is getting real. “Even if Kady managed to get one of them we wouldn’t have been able to defeat the three, not against their magic”

They all stare at Josh “What do you mean by that?” Alice asks furrowing her brows and folding her arms over her chest.

“Well, for starters there’s the whole fighting thing. You didn’t see them take out the Dark King’s soldiers like they were just annoying pests to be swatted off. Man, I can’t forget the image of Quentin throwing a knife and hitting a guy in the throat” Josh explains “And there’s the magic factor. Their magic is not like ours. When they first started casting, I thought they were gods, or something like that” Fen nods vigorously.

“You’re kidding right?” Eliot says, still unable to process the thought of his Q being able to fight. And the way both describe it, lethally. 

“Nope. They didn’t call themselves magicians” Josh adds.

“Then, what the fuck are they?” Margo asks impatiently.

“They call themselves warlocks. They said they belong to an organization that protects different worlds and dimensions, and they welcome any magical creatures, no discrimination” Kady answers. “I can’t say anything about the fighting, but they’re the ones who altered the wards, and Q made the ingredients Josh has been using to cook, appear, out of thin air, no less. No poppers, no circumstances, no chanting. Just a flick of his hand, and puff! Food.”

What? Warlocks? Organizations that protect worlds and dimensions? Magical creatures? Those questions float around in everyone’s mind. Alice mumbles she’s never heard about warlocks and she wants to get to the Library right away, to see if she can find any information on what Quentin is now.

“Did he say anything else?” She asks, thinking if Quentin has found out about her and Kady.

“He gave us information on the Dark King, his minions, and his army. They are confined in Fillory for now, but according to Q and his friends, it’s just a matter of time, before they find a way to get on Earth” Kady says “He also said we must warn as many people as we can: Hedges, Brakebills, the Library, other magicians we know. Apparently, the Dark King is attracted to surges of magic, so doing cooperative spells is out of the question for now.” Kady pauses, to look at Fen and Josh, who nod. She takes out the pendants from her pocket and puts them on the kitchen island. “He also gave us these pendants allow us to communicate with them”

Julia and Eliot are eyeing the pendants with attention, and Julia puts one of her hands on the island, inching closer to the pendants. She drums her fingers and asks:

“How do they work?”

“They have the other halves. They are a bit like worry stones. When we hold one of them in our hands, we’ll be able to talk to them. If we feel we’re in danger, we hold the pendants and theirs will glow red. They’ll come to the rescue” Kady says, as she puts the pendants back in her pockets. Julia and Eliot look disappointed, that Kady has taken them.

“From now own, when we go out, one of us should carry one of the pendants, just in case” Kady suggests “We leave the other one here. And if we all go out, we carry both pendants”

“Just because Quentin gave them to you, that doesn’t mean you should be the one who gets to keep them and to decide who carries them” Margo says, looking at the expression Eliot wears as he stares at the pocket Kady’s put the pendants in.

Kady narrows her eyes. “I’m not doing that. I’m only suggesting what to do with them. It’s not like he gave us one, for each of us”

Fen adds “And apart from how to use them, he didn’t really tell us that much more”

“Give me one and I’ll hound Quentin until that cock answers” Margo puts her hand out.

Kady lets out a bark of a laugh “Do you think that’s going to work?”

“Can’t hurt to try. Besides, I’m gonna hound him so hard, he’ll ask for mercy and crawl at my feet” Margo is sure she could intimidate Quentin into answering her.

“You’ll only manage to alienate him more” Kady responds, silently patting herself on the back for keeping a hold of the communication pendants “And I don’t think his best friend and your best friend are too happy with what you’re suggesting”

Margo glances at Eliot and Julia, who don’t look happy at all. “What?” She barks harshly. “You don’t want me scaring the poor little nerd away?”

“Bambi, I’m going to say this with the utmost respect. But shut the hell up” Margo falls silent mouth opening in slight shock before snapping closed. It’s rare, that Eliot talks back at her like that, and since they mended their relationship, they haven’t had any major arguments. But Quentin is a touchy subject and Margo thinks that Eliot hasn’t fully forgiven her, for how she treated Q. She throws her hands in the air “Fine, I’m not going to hound the poor boy! But I say we do something, now that we know that nerd boy is on Earth, at least”

Julia smiles “Well, it’s a good thing that the spell to summon him is finished. We’ve been looking for the best moment to cast it. Why not do it now?”

“Are you kidding me?” Josh asks. “Didn’t you heard what Kady said? About not doing cooperative spells? Quentin himself told us not to do that!”

“Come on, Hoberman. The Dark King is confined to Fillory, I don’t think he’ll be able to feel our cooperative spell from there” Penny speaks for the first time, in a while. “If there’s any trouble, I can get you out of there” He thinks Quentin is a coward for not staying to face the, but he’s not going to say that out loud. And Julia is happy at the prospect of seeing her best friend soon, so he’s going with it.

Josh gives Kady a pleading look “If Quentin has warned us not to do cooperative spells, it’s because he knows more about the Dark King than we do. He also told us not to do anything stupid. And that classifies as something truly stupid” She says rubbing her forehead tiredly at the stubborn looks on their faces.

“Oh, come on, it can’t be that bad! We cast the spell and summon Quentin’s ass to us. 23 can travel us out. And you and Quinn can create wards to protect us, for when we cast the spell” Margo tells the taller brunette.

Julia, Alice, Eliot, and Margo start planning, thinking about where to cast the spell, when to do it … Josh, Kady, and Fen try to convince them not to, but it doesn’t work.

“He killed a niffin” Josh says, quietly, in a last-ditch effort to convince the others, that casting the summoning spell is a bad idea.

They turn to stare at him “Josh, niffins are beings of pure magic. They can be contained, but not killed” Alice says.

“Yeah, listen to Library girl here” Margo hooks a thumb at the blond. “She has firsthand experience on that!”

Alice glares at her.

“Don’t you think I know that?” Josh stresses “I didn’t think it was possible to kill one, but he did”

Fen nods, horror crossing her face as she remembers “It was not long after we got captured. There were still some rebels, loyal to us. It was done in public, to show how powerful the Dark King was. His lieutenants brought the niffin in. It was chained to a stake. It tried, several times, to escape, but it couldn’t. The Dark King approached it and took all its magic, killing the niffin quickly. The only things left, were the manacles they used to tie it down” She tells the others, who fall silent. How powerful is the Dark King, if it can kill a being that is pure magic? Though it doesn’t last long.

“I say we vote” Eliot suggests, trying to feel confident but somewhat shaken at the story “We cast the spell or not. Majority wins and we take the pendants as a precaution”

They decide to cast the spell that Friday. It’s Wednesday, which gives them a day to start warning the Hedges, Brakebills, and the Library, about the Dark King and the cooperative spells. And since they’re casting the spell in upstate New York, to be as far from the city as possible, they need to rent either a van or a couple of cars. Since they’ve never been there, Penny can’t travel them there.

Josh, Kady, and Fen sigh in defeat, as the others continue to hash out a plan. They have a day, to try and convince the others that casting the spell is a bad idea, to have a little patience. They haven’t been able to give the others Q’s last message, but they think it will fall on deaf ears, anyway. Their friends are nothing if not stubborn. Now that they’ve decided to cast the spell, there’s no stopping them, unless it’s the apocalypse. Kady grabs a pendant and hopes that it works.

_“Quentin, can you hear me?”_ there are a couple of moments of silence. Josh and Fen are looking at her expectantly, as the others plan the trip. Kady is starting to think that it’s a dud, when …

_“Hey Kady”_ She hears Q’s voice, loud and clear. _“Don’t tell me you’re in trouble already. Our halves aren’t glowing red”_

_“No, not yet. But we might be about to. Our friends are going to do something colossally stupid, which is to cast a spell to summon you”_ She tells him.

Quentin snorts _“Do they realize that since I’m no longer a magician, it most likely won’t work?”_

Kady chuckles _“I didn’t think of that. Wait”_ Out loud she says “People, have you thought that since Quentin is no longer a magician, the spell might not work?” She gives the pendant to Fen.

Alice, who has been putting the ingredients they need in a bag exchanges a look with Julia. “We’ll need to alter it a bit, but we have his blood, hair, and belongings. They should call to him. We’ll just amplify the spell”

Kady rolls her eyes heavenward and Josh just shakes his heads “Amplifying the spell means more magic, which means more people casting it. Don’t you think it’s a little dangerous?” Josh asks, exasperated

Julia narrows her eyes “You keep trying to dissuade us from doing the spell. What, don’t you want to see Q? He saved your lives!”

“And I’m grateful for that. I also want to respect his wishes and he said we’d see each other soon. Why can’t we wait for him to get in touch with us?” Josh rejoins, irritation making his words sharp.

“Because, if we waited for him to ovary up, we’d be waiting for eternity” Margo answers. “We’re just speeding up the process”

Josh crosses his arms, as his friends' irrational thinking is making way for true anger “I don’t think we should do it. He’ll get in touch with us when he wants”

They can’t convince the others. Fen has been downplaying the whole conversation to Quentin, who is exasperated and frankly, angry with his friends. Haven’t they learned anything?

_“Fen?”_ Quentin asks _“Can you get Kady and Josh?”_

Fen nods and the three huddle in a corner “Quentin, Kady, and Josh are with me”

_“Good. Tell them to touch you”_ Fen sniggers _“Not like that!”_ Quentin exclaims _“They’ll be able to hear me if they’re touching you”_

Still chuckling, Fen tells that to Josh and Kady. Josh takes her hand, and Kady puts her on Fen’s shoulder.

_“Can you hear me?”_ Lys asks, taking over Quentin.

_“Yes”_ the three answer.

“ _Ok, listen, very carefully. Quentin thinks that your friends will need to amplify the spell so that it works. That means more people casting, right?”_ She asks. The three make noises of affirmation. “ _Which means more magic that can attract the Dark King_ ” Lys stops for a second. “ _Ok, here’s what we need you to do. Always keep this pendant with you. It also works like a homing device, which will allow us to find you”_

Then Quentin takes back over “ _Kady, I guess they’ll ask you to do the wards_ ” Kady answers yes. “ _What I’m about to ask you, surely goes against your principles, but we need you to cast the weakest wards possible_ ” Kady is about to make a noise in protest “ _Listen, the lieutenant that can manipulate wards, she can block the ability to portal, to travel … in short, she turns your defenses against you. Casting weaker wards leave you more vulnerable, but it will be more difficult for her to use your wards against you”_

_“Fine, but you’d better be there, or I’ll kick you into the afterlife”_ Kady agrees.

Quentin laughs “ _No need to do that. We’ll be there. In the meantime, try to convince them that it’s a bad idea to cast the spell, see if you can stall them_ ”

_“Quentin, knowing our friends as well as we do, you know that unless you appeared here, right now, nothing will change their minds_ ” Josh says, then freezes in trepidation. _“Look, I know you’re not ready to face them, that was more than obvious earlier. But if you show up now, it will stop the stupidity happening right in front of us.”_

Quentin sighs, resignation in his tone _“Yes, I know”_ He sounds resigned _“. The problem with that is that we can’t make direct contact beyond what we already have, per the Organization. They’re essentially trying not to step on any toes with the old gods that rule your dimension; and considering how much trouble we’ve gotten into the last few years; the group is watched heavily. We can’t move unless or until the Dark King moves on Earth.”_ He sounds tired _. “Which means that unless they stop being stupid, it’s going to happen sooner than anyone is ready for. At least, carry some sort of weapon. Fen, I’m sure you’ll have one of your trusty knives, but it wouldn’t hurt if you carried something else”_

Fen smiles, taking one of her knives out. “ _Don’t worry. While I don’t have my best knives, I’ve found Earth to sell an amazing array of them. And I think I left a couple of them, the last time I was on Earth_ ”

_“Quentin?_ ” Kady says “ _By the way, we’re going to cast the spell in the_ _Allegheny National Forest. It’s quite far from the city, and the park is big enough to give us privacy, just in case_ ”

_“Ok, thank you, Kady. It will be easier for us to find you there_ ” They hear faint noises coming from Q’s end. It seems he’s talking to his friends about something. Then, he speaks to them again _“We’re consulting with our HQ, about the Fillory-Earth situation. Since we don’t know how long it will take them to be able to come to Earth, we’ll be taking you to our safe house. Kieran says that if you can, try to pack a bag, with what you feel you’ll need_ ”

Kady nods, though she thinks it will be difficult to get everyone on board. “ _Kady, Josh, Fen, **please** , try to convince them not to do the spell_” Quentin pleads, one last time, knowing, as well as the other three, that it’s futile. “Keep me posted if anything changes. If not, I’ll see you on Friday. Please, don’t let them do any other stupid thing” He cuts of the communication.

“Hey, you three, what have you been doing, all huddled up in that corner?” Suspicion is painted all over Margo’s face, as she eyes the three huddled in the corner.

Fen and Josh look a bit guilty, and Kady can’t help the sighs that escapes her. They really need to work on their poker faces. Even Quentin has a better one, or he wouldn’t be as good as he is at games like Push! Kady thinks. She decides to tell a half-truth. “Since you’re determined to cast a dangerous spell that our friend asked us not to, we’re planning in advance. I think we should create a bag of holding, and put some essentials, in case we need to make a run for it”

The others stare suspiciously at her. “What?” She shrugs, hand in the air “I’m just saying, if we must get the hell out of dodge because we fucked up, I’m not going to spend my time on the run, with the clothes I have on”

“That’s actually not a bad idea” Julia says “We each prepare a bag of holding and we transform it, so they fit in a backpack”

Josh adds “Do we still have the God-killing gun and bullets? Or Margo, you still have your axes? We should carry them too, just in case”

“I think we lost the gun and bullets at Blackspire. But I’m never leaving without Sorrow and Sorrow” Margo returns snapping her fingers “Come on people! Let’s get packing!”

Josh, Fen and Kady spend the following day trying to convince the others not to cast the spell, which makes Julia get mad at Kady, Alice eye her suspiciously and Eliot and Margo argue with Fen and Josh. They do start doing what Quentin and his friends have told them to do, warn the magical communities about the dangers of the Dark King and his army.

They start with Brakebills. They ask for a meeting with Fogg, who doesn’t exactly welcome them but is at least willing to listen to them. However, he says that cooperative magic is one of the most important parts of the curriculum, and they’re not going to stop teaching how to cast cooperative spells. He says that the wards that protect Brakebills are enough. Eliot replies that if the Beast was able to cross as easily as he did, what’s going to stop someone who can kill a niffin? Still, neither Fogg nor Sunderland nor any of the Faculty they talk to believe them.

Alice and Penny don’t have better luck at the Library. Zelda tells them that the Library has the best protection ever, not only protected by spells, but by creatures like the dragon too. The hedges are the only ones who’re more receptive, which makes Kady breathe easier. Harriet is a great ally. She believes Kady, no questions asked, and most covens trust what Harriet says. So, score for the hedges! Kady thinks, in satisfaction.

Friday comes and Josh, Fen and Kady are tense, as they don’t know how it’s going to go down. They leave early, even though the park isn’t that far away, but they need to check in with the rangers, to ask for permission to do a bonfire. They need to go over the safety measures and sign all sorts of wavers. Even if they can use magic to put the fire out, they don’t want to be discovered and be punished with a fine.

They get to the park and walk for a while until they find a clearing. There’s a fallen log, which gives them some cover. The clearing is not entirely flat, there’s a slight slope. There are some nearby trees, covered in moss and some fungi, which Josh is sure to have some sort of hallucinogenic properties. While Julia, Alice, and Margo prepare the spell, Kady wards the place. It irks and terrifies her, but she does as Quentin asked, and creates the weakest wards she can. It’s not easy, she has to force herself to tone it down.

Margo stacks the logs into the cleared-out circle that Julia creates. Leaning forward slightly, Eliot snaps his fingers and with a slight _whoosh,_ the fire is started. Standing at the four corners representing the four corners of the world around the fire, Julia, Alice, Margo and Eliot start the spell. Penny paces near the downed tree as he keeps a careful eye on the tree line surrounding them. Kady can only shake her head at the uselessness of his pacing. The Dark King and his minions would come through a portal, not from a damn state forest.

They throw the potion in the fire, with Q’s blood and hair. Then, they begin casting, reciting the incantation. At first, nothing happens, which makes them cast faster. The fire starts sizzling up, so they think it’s working. But it starts to fizzle out, something that isn’t supposed to happen. Julia thinks they might need more people and tell Penny, Kady, and Josh, who have been acting as lookouts, to cast with them. Fen stays with the backpacks and holds them tightly, the pendant Kady has given her, clutched in her fist. She’s on the lookout now.

The others keep casting, so the fire doesn’t go out. But it does, which means the spell has failed. Margo demands “Ok, who’s the cock that has screwed up?” She throws a dirty look at Kady and Josh.

“Hanson, you’d better not be implying what you’re implying” Kady growls, fists clenching together.

“What can I say, you two have been against casting the spell” Margo complains. “We had it right until you two joined in”

“The spell was failing, even before Kady and I stepped in” Josh defends himself and Kady, arms crossed over his chest.

“Hum, Margo, Josh? I think you need to see this” Fen interrupts them.

“Fen sweetie, I don’t care if the most wonderful creature has had a shit near us, now is not the time” Margo tells Fen tightly, teeth grinding together “The grownups are talking and I need to decide whether I’m going to cut off Josh’s hanging meat”

Fen huffs in annoyance, then tries with another person “Julia, Alice, can you look? I really think you need to”

But Julia and Alice, along with Eliot and Penny are looking at one of the books that has helped them create the spell.

Fen stomps her feet and shouts “Will you stop what you’re doing and look at that?” She points at something that has appeared across the clearing.

They turn to look at her, then to see where she’s pointing at.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” A man has just stepped out of a black portal, accompanied by a woman dressed in a leather uniform of sorts and several soldiers. The man is rubbing his hands together, with manic glee. He has a high-pitched voice, which would be kind of comical, but in this case, it sends chills running up everyone’s spine. Fen moves closer to the group and gives the pendant to Kady, who grasps it tightly in her hand, hoping Quentin and his friends will be able to sense the danger. She starts calling out for him, in her head.

“The fugitive King and Prince of Fillory! And its former High Kings and Queen!” The man exclaims, sounding all giddy. “Oh, and what is this?” he says with fake wonder “I smell God power in one of you! Good, good” He looks at Penny, seizing him up “And you, you are a rarity. A teleporter! Oh my! What a bounty for my King!” He claps his hands together in glee.

The woman signals at the soldiers “Seize them. We need them alive”

“Quentin, where the fuck are you?” Kady wonders out loud, as she prepares to throw battle magic at the soldiers. Penny 23 tells them to grab each other, so they can travel out, but something is blocking his traveling abilities. They throw various defensive spells, but the soldiers and the two sorcerers deflect them, way too easily. Kady, who’s squeezing the pendant so hard that it’s digging her skin, shouts mentally “Quentin, if you don’t appear right now, I’m going to kick your ass to eternity!”

“ _On your left_ ” She hears Q and snorts out a relieved laugh. “ _Nerd_.” She responds breathlessly as she continues to sling battle magic at the advancing soldiers. 

Five figures, all dressed in black, appear in the clearing, between them and the soldiers. Josh gives a wordless shout of excitement as he recognizes the uniforms as he throws what little offensive magic he has. Quentin and his friends are here! They recognize Kieran, Lys, and Quentin, so the other two must be members of the team too. One of them is a huge guy, even taller than Eliot or Kieran. He’s awfully fast, though, moving at a speed that seems s almost unnatural. Kady wonders what kind of creature he is.

Eliot freezes for a moment, in the midst of trying to throw a soldier back into the tree

He would recognize that ass blindfolded and in the dark. His heart flips over as Quentin reaches both hands above his shoulders and grabs the hilts of his swords, the double swords singing as he unsheathes them from his back. For the first time, he actually considers how deadly Fen and Josh had made his Q seem, as the smaller man lunges forward. He blanches only the tiniest bit as a soldier’s head flies over Quentin’s shoulder, silver flashing in the firelight as twin blades deal out death.

The five move through the soldiers like a tidal wave. They don’t hesitate, they’re swift, brutal, and precise. Just like they did in Fillory, they show perfect coordination, never getting in each other’s way. When Kieran finishes the arrows in his quiver, he joins the others. They kill most of the soldiers, but another black portal opens, and more soldiers start coming out.

“We need to get the hell out of here!” The big guy exclaims. Q and his friends nodding.

“Fen will need help” Q shouts, motioning over to the woman in question “ Perce?”

“On it” the big guy says and runs over to Fen “Madam, I think you might require some assistance. May I offer my services?” It makes Fen blush and giggle, as the big man bows, holding his hand out in a courtly gesture.

“Please, don’t be such a chivalrous sap!” Says the guy neither Kady, nor Josh, or Fen recognize.

“You’re just jealous that Perce has better moves than you have” Quentin teases TC, as his left sword whirls again, gutting a soldier to the right.

“Ok, leave the flirting for later, yeah?” Lys laughs. “Q lets save your friends”

Lys creates a portal, near the Dark King’s lieutenants. Q uses his magic to create a tornado, that he uses to throw debris towards the lieutenants and the soldiers, pushing them back towards the portal. However, the sorceress creates a barrier that blocks the tornado, and Lys’s portal closes.

“It was worth a try” Lys yells at Quentin. “Let’s get the hell out of here!”

Quentin and his friends start to run, in the opposite direction of the lieutenants. As they pass next to his friends, Quentin reaches out and grabs Eliot’s hand, pulling the taller man into a run. Lys, TC, and Kieran urge Q’s friends to follow, while Perce carries Fen on his back. TC and Kieran stay at the rear, and Lys runs to the front since she’s the one who’s going to open a portal, to get them out.

As they run through the forest, Q keeps squeezing Eliot’s hand for reassurance. And keeps looking behind, to check that his friends are running behind. Eliot, trailing behind Q, can’t help but stare at him, as the trees fly past them. He hopes they can get to a safe place, so they can talk, and he can brave, as he promised. The fact that Q has kind of chosen him, over Julia or Alice, it must mean something, right? That Q still loves him. Quentin turns to look at him and smiles reassuringly, as leaves and pinecones crunch beneath their feet. Eliot just wants to pull them to a stop and kiss Q, until everything else disappears and there’s just the two of them in the world. But he settles for staring at his friend? Love of his life? El hopes it’ll be the latter. He’s noticed that Q has changed, even without the twin pommels sticking above his shoulders. The uniform he’s wearing is tight in the right places, and while Q is never going to be overly muscular, he’s definitively more defined. Still, he’s smaller than Eliot, which is just the way Eliot prefers. And holy fuck! Seeing Q all badass like has made his pants quite tight, not the best way to be when you’re running for your life.

Julia scowls at the back of Eliot’s head as they run, miffed that Q has chosen Eliot over her. Her only consolation is that he keeps throwing looks back at her, checking that she’s following him. She’s really happy that she has her best friend back, and when they get to safety, she plans on hugging him so hard and maybe yelling at him too, for good measure. She’s also noticed Q’s new friends and how close they seem. If they’re as protective of him as she is, then they’re her allies. If they’re just using Q, well, they’ll know it’s better not to piss off a former Goddess.

Alice runs, holding Kady’s hand. She’s happy to see Q and she doesn’t feel sad when he chooses Eliot over her. She just keeps staring at Kady. It seems that Kady has been hiding something from her, most likely because Q asked her. She also wonders why the spell didn’t work and frankly, she’s a little scared of Q’s friends.

Margo runs behind Julia, Alice, and Kady. She keeps cursing that she’s wearing high heels and running through a forest. She looks at Q’s friends and wonders whether nerd boy has fucked any of them, if he has, kudos to him! She realizes she has to apologize to Kady and Josh, which she doesn’t like, at all. And she needs to lay it down on Quentin, because what the fuck does he think he’s doing? If he thinks she’s going to let him down easy, well, that boy is out of his damn mind.

Penny 23 runs nearer the rear. He hopes that now that Quentin is back, Julia will stop obsessing over bringing him back or summoning him. He still doesn’t trust that Quentin hasn’t come back wrong, he’s naturally suspicious. And he doesn’t like that he can’t get even a glimpse of Quentin’s or his friend’s minds. Most of his other friends have pretty good mental wards, but the occasional thought or feeling still leaks out. Q and his friends? Their minds are completely closed off from him. And he doesn’t like that, one damn bit.

When they are far enough from their enemies, Lys takes out the scissors that create rifts and opens one. Q and her urge his friends to go through. Except for Josh and Fen, the others look shocked that she’s used scissors, to create a portal. Lys gives Josh and Fen a knowing look, which makes them groan. They know what’s coming.

They go through the portal and plunge straight into the ocean. They break the surface, Q whipping his head, to shake the water off. He stares at Lys, who winks at him “Lys!” He protests. He’s still holding Eliot’s hand, checking that he’s ok, and looking over to Julia and Alice.

The others are angry that they have landed in the ocean.

“Who the fuck decides a damn ocean was a great escape?!” Margo shrieks, losing one high heel shoe as she tries to treat water, silently bemoaning the state of her designer dress.

Q quickly opens the next portal as his armor and the other’s clothes start dragging them down. They appear in the African savanna, surrounded by wild animals. Q and his teammates snigger when Margo groans because she has landed on the excrements of some animal. They don’t give Q’s friends much time to protest. As soon as they’ve arrived at the savanna, Kieran opens another portal. This one takes them to Antarctica, where Penny 23 is almost bitten by a sea leopard. They go through several portal jumps until they land in the Scottish Highlands near Loch Ness. When Q’s friends get out of the portal, most fall to the ground, queasy as hell. Josh and Fen are faring a bit better, but not by much. Q lets go of Eliot’s hand, giving him a final squeeze, and smiles at Eliot reassuringly.

He joins his teammates, huddled up, throwing side looks at Q’s friends.

“London or Division?” Q asks.

“That’s what we were talking about” TC says, as he opens his arms. . The missing members from their team didn’t much time to greet the others, suiting up within five minutes of reaching the London house that day. 

Q goes to him and lets himself be hugged by TC, who nuzzles his nose, in truly canine fashion and hugs Q. “Oh my darling Sparkles, I missed you so!” One of his hands travels down to Q’s ass, between the armor plates, pinching it, and making Q yelp and mock punch TC.

TC hides behind Perce, laughing at Q’s fake indignation. “Oh, come on, you can’t fault me, for missing that peach shaped bum of yours! And the rest of you, which is damn fine too!”

Kieran and Lys are smiling, while Perce rolls his eyes, at his lover’s antic.

Quentin laughs too. TC is giving him the puppy eyes, with a pout that’s hard to resist. He feigns to think about it for a few moments, then says “I forgive you. It’s a damn fine ass. And I missed you too!”

TC hugs Quentin again, rubbing his nose against Q’s neck and face. He knows what they look like. From a distance, it looks like two lovers embracing. And TC has noticed, Q’s tall friend, the one Q has been holding hands with. He’s glaring at him, fists clenching, lips a thin line. TC smells the jealousy and the arousal on Q’s friend, and he winks at him, knowing it will make him angrier.

Eliot is seething. Who the fuck does that punk think he is, holding and hugging Q like that? And he has the gall to wink at him? He’s never been violent, but right now, he wants nothing more but to punch Q’s friend in the face. He starts going over to Q and his teammates, but his arm is tugged at. It’s Julia. “Don’t. Not now” She tells him. Eliot sighs but agrees. It’s not the moment and they’ll have time to discuss. He just hopes he hasn’t lost his chance with Q.

Lys approaches Quentin’s friends. “One last portal” She opens the portal, urging Q’s friends to go through it, then her teammates and she’s the last one. They appear in the London townhouse, in the living room, Q and his teammates on one side and his friends on the other, as they size each other. With a flick of their wrists, Lys, Kieran, and Quentin dry and clean his friend’s clothes. They also make water bottles and granola bars appear.

Q’s friends keep staring at him, not saying anything, expecting him to make the first move. Well, except Kady, Fen, and Josh, who have moved away, and are sort of in the middle. The others keep staring at Q, who doesn’t like the scrutiny at all. His teammates recognize the signs, and Lys frowns as stress begins to mark the younger man’s features. Kady, who’s looking at Quentin, sees it again. His pupils become elongated, and it’s that the pattern of rosettes on his skin? Quentin starts hyperventilating, he knows that he’s about to change, but he doesn’t want to do it in front of his friends. He spins on one heel and sprints out of the room and up the stairs.

“I’m on it” Kieran reassures Lys, Perce, and TC. And goes after Quentin.

Quentin’s new friends form a barrier between the stairs and Q’s friends. If any of them dares do or say anything, it’s on. They will protect Q, even from his friends. Lys takes a step forward, greeting Kady, Josh, and Fen, who get closer to Lys and the other two teammates. Lys eyes each of Q’s friends “I guess we should introduce ourselves”. But no one says anything, and Q’s friends keep staring the door Quentin has disappeared into.


End file.
